Benjamin Harris (publisher)
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Harris an English publisher, a figure of the Popish Plot
in England who then moved to New England as an early journalist. He published the New England Primer, the first textbook in British America, and edited the first multi-page newspaper
there, Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick
, from 25 September 1690.
books, pamphlets, and a newspaper is known from 1673. Many of his publications were anti-Catholic. He published the pamphlet Appeal from the Country to the City in 1679 by Charles Blount
, opposing the succession of James, Duke of York, and was consequently convicted of sedition and ordered to pay a fine he could not afford. Released from prison, Harris resumed his anti-Catholic campaigning. From 1679 to 1681, Harris published a paper that displayed an early use of local news, Domestick Intelligence: Or News both from City and Country.
He moved to Boston
in 1686 to start the London Coffee House, which provided both men and women (unusually at the time) access to foreign newspapers and books. After publishing The New-England Primer (c.1690) and Tulley’s Almanach, he set out to publish a newspaper (Mindich). Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick
had three pages of text, with the fourth page left blank for others to write in pieces of news to hand around. It focused on local news, and included gossip; one item concerned King William's War
and atrocities attributed to Native American forces allied to the British, current in September 1690. Without a license, it was closed down after a single issue, Harris was jailed, and the next newspaper did not appear until 1704, when John Campbell's Boston News-Letter was the first American newspaper to last beyond the first issue.
From 1690 to 1695, Harris continued to run his coffeehouse and publish books. He joined another partner, John Allen in partnership. In 1692, he received the official assignment to print The Acts and Laws of Massachusetts in 1692 (Mindich). Harris was also active in community service, supporting homeless shelters and orphanages.
He returned to London 1695. He started a series of short-lived newspapers before publishing the London Post from 1699 to 1706. He sold his paper, books, and almanacs from his printing shop and store. The location and date of Benjamin Harris's death are unknown. He was married with one son; his wife's name is not clear but it is thought to be either Sarah or Ruth (Mindich).
Popish Plot
The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy concocted by Titus Oates that gripped England, Wales and Scotland in Anti-Catholic hysteria between 1678 and 1681. Oates alleged that there existed an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Charles II, accusations that led to the execution of at...
in England who then moved to New England as an early journalist. He published the New England Primer, the first textbook in British America, and edited the first multi-page newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
there, Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick
Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick
Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick was the title of the first multi-page newspaper published in the Americas. Before then, single-page newspapers, called broadsides, were published in the English colonies and printed in Cambridge in 1689...
, from 25 September 1690.
Life
His career in London a publisher of WhigBritish Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
books, pamphlets, and a newspaper is known from 1673. Many of his publications were anti-Catholic. He published the pamphlet Appeal from the Country to the City in 1679 by Charles Blount
Charles Blount (deist)
Charles Blount was a British deist and controversialist who published several anonymous essays critical of the existing English order.-Life:...
, opposing the succession of James, Duke of York, and was consequently convicted of sedition and ordered to pay a fine he could not afford. Released from prison, Harris resumed his anti-Catholic campaigning. From 1679 to 1681, Harris published a paper that displayed an early use of local news, Domestick Intelligence: Or News both from City and Country.
He moved to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
in 1686 to start the London Coffee House, which provided both men and women (unusually at the time) access to foreign newspapers and books. After publishing The New-England Primer (c.1690) and Tulley’s Almanach, he set out to publish a newspaper (Mindich). Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick
Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick
Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick was the title of the first multi-page newspaper published in the Americas. Before then, single-page newspapers, called broadsides, were published in the English colonies and printed in Cambridge in 1689...
had three pages of text, with the fourth page left blank for others to write in pieces of news to hand around. It focused on local news, and included gossip; one item concerned King William's War
King William's War
The first of the French and Indian Wars, King William's War was the name used in the English colonies in America to refer to the North American theater of the Nine Years' War...
and atrocities attributed to Native American forces allied to the British, current in September 1690. Without a license, it was closed down after a single issue, Harris was jailed, and the next newspaper did not appear until 1704, when John Campbell's Boston News-Letter was the first American newspaper to last beyond the first issue.
From 1690 to 1695, Harris continued to run his coffeehouse and publish books. He joined another partner, John Allen in partnership. In 1692, he received the official assignment to print The Acts and Laws of Massachusetts in 1692 (Mindich). Harris was also active in community service, supporting homeless shelters and orphanages.
He returned to London 1695. He started a series of short-lived newspapers before publishing the London Post from 1699 to 1706. He sold his paper, books, and almanacs from his printing shop and store. The location and date of Benjamin Harris's death are unknown. He was married with one son; his wife's name is not clear but it is thought to be either Sarah or Ruth (Mindich).
External links
- Mark Knights, ‘Harris, Benjamin (c.1647–1720)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 4 June 2007