The Origins of a Free Press in Prerevolutionary ... - Web Publishing

From the very beginning, the printer noted his deference to the local political elite,
and recognized no freedom to abuse the political leaders or to undermine the
respect for authority. The idea of a free press in early colonial Virginia was
constrained by this concept of social and political deference. Another early edition
of the newspaper reinforced this deferential treatment with an ode to the governor,
“humbly addressed to the Honourable William Gooch, Esq :
… With Pleasure, Honour;d SIR, we view
Our Country Flourish under You.
And whilst You with impartial Hand,
Distribute Justice through the Land ... ” 7
As the representative of the King, the governor was due a high level of respect. A
very special deference was accorded to royalty. In 1736, Britain’s King George II
was lauded on the occasion of his son’s wedding, “We are called upon, by every
Motive of Duty and Gratitude, to acknowledge His Majesty’s Goodness.” 8 The
divine right of kings might no longer be recognized, but in the first half of the
eighteenth century nothing critical of the King is evident in the printed material of
the colonial Chesapeake region.
A mere three decades later, by the mid-1760s, a remarkable shift had
occurred. The culture of deference had eroded considerably, allowing for what may
be referred to as “a culture of dissidence.” 9 Open and public disagreement with
Gazette Index, 1736-1780 (Williamsburg: The Institute of Early American History and Culture,
1950) and use the later date, which was the actual date of publishing.
7 Virginia Gazette (Williamsburg: William Parks, Dec. 3, 1736), 1.
8 Virginia Gazette (Oct. 1, 1736), 1.
9 Culture is defined here as all of socially transmitted behavior patterns and beliefs, or a pool
of resources which traffics information among elite, middling, and lesser folk. Culture is not
imposed from above. It is not uniform but rather is fractured, local, and replete with opposition.
Culture flows two ways. Cultural history is interested in the lives of common people, as is social
history. Cultural history looks at meanings attached to what people did, rather than their actions.
While society may be thought of as a kind of arena, culture is a resource, existing within society.
From David D. Hall, Cultures of Print: Essays in the History of the Book (Amherst: University of
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