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

traditional power of the elites by “short-circuiting” the usual hierarchical flow of
information. 66 Newspapers and the civic debate that they engendered were
undermining the culture of deference.
Public discourse began with literary matters, as Habermas theorized for
England and Germany, but religious matters directly preceded, and set the stage
for, political discourse in the Chesapeake newspapers. The debate over deism—a
creator who does not directly intervene in human affairs—appeared as early as 1738,
and even earlier, essays by “The Plain-Dealer” on philosophical doubting appeared
in the Maryland Gazette. The debate over deism continued for decades, with most
letters expressing disproval. 67 By 1767, several angry letters claimed deists had
actually torn pages out of the Bible, and one even equated Methodists with such
blasphemers. 68 As early as 1737, the newspapers began to take notice of the “Great
Awakening” or “New Light” religious movement. The popularity of George
Whitefield’s preaching in London and the fact that he would soon be traveling to
the colony of Georgia was reported. 69 A debate between a dissident minister and
someone supporting the more traditional position of the Church of England took
place on the newspaper pages in 1753. Samuel Davies requested that printer
66 The “multi-step flow” was originally termed, “two-step,” but improved theory added
secondary influence and multiple directions. John Durham Peters, “Democracy and American
Mass Communication Theory: Dewey, Lippman, Lazarsfeld,” Communication, 1988, vol. 11, 214,
Sidney Kraus and Dennis Davis, The Effects of Mass Communication on Political Behavior
(University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1976), Werner Severin and James W.
Tankard, Jr., Communication Theories: Origins, Methods, And Uses In The Mass Media, 2 nd ed. (New
York: Longman, 2001), and Weir, "Role of the Newspaper Press," 142-143 and 148-149.
67 Virginia Gazette (Feb. 13, 1738), 1. Maryland Gazette (Annapolis: Parks, Dec. 17, 1728),
1. See Cook, 159-161, on the deistic character of the rational thinking, “deistic” tendencies of
“The Plain-Dealer” essay. Virginia Gazette (Hunter, March 2, 1752), 3, where an anonymous
author suggests his letter “disproves” deism.
68 Ibid., (Purdie & Dixon, Jan. 9, 1767), 1, (Purdie & Dixon, Jan. 22, 1767), 2, (Purdie &
Dixon, Feb. 5, 1767), 3.
69 Virginia Gazette (Dec. 30, 1737), 4.
83