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

ultimate act of political dissent against a British government that was no longer
being acknowledged. It declared for the first time the inalienable right of expression
as a limitation on a government’s power. 18 A cultural shift is evident in
prerevolutionary Virginia. The ancient tradition of deference had not allowed for
overt criticism of those in power, including those in political control. Examining
these public prints, there is evidence of an increase in critical debate, first in the
sphere of religion, later in politics and government. The idea of social and political
deference was waning, and the appreciation of critical debate was increasing. The
prevailing culture in colonial Virginia had shifted away from one of deference to
one that valued critical civic discourse. This increase in critical debate seen in the
public prints shows a larger shift in the society towards a culture of dissidence.
This research tracks the transition from the establishment of a printing press
in Virginia in the 1730s, to the political dissent that resulted in the American
Revolution in 1776. The book examines how change is reflected in the popular
press of the colonial Chesapeake region, but it also explores a more complex
relationship among print culture, thought, and political ideology. By adding the
techniques of cultural history and media ecology, this work expands upon the
understandings reached by political and legal historians. Rather than focus entirely
on the philosophy and political ideals of the elite, this research digs more deeply
into the more popular newspapers and almanacs, and their influence on—and
from—a wider swath of society. By the very nature of print and the lack of literacy
of certain groups of people, the approach used here is not overly inclusive of one
extreme but large end of society: the very poor whites, the slaves, the American
Indians, and others who had only minimal participation in the world of print. For a
large number of Virginians, however, the ability to read, listen to, and disseminate
ideas by print became so important that they created a constitutional protection for
18 Stephan A. Schwartz, “George Mason: Forgotten Founder, He Conceived the Bill of
Rights,” Smithsonian Magazine 31, no. 2 (May 2000): 149.
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