The purpose of this study was to investigate newspaper poetry appearing in selected British colonial newspapers from the Stamp Act crisis of 1765 through July, 1776, to reflect upon the political implications of that poetry, and to assess its use as a propaganda vehicle by both sides in the conflict between Great Britain and her thirteen American colonies.Newspapers were selected on the basis of regional location and political viewpoint. Newspapers from New England, the Middle Atlantic colonies, and from the Southern colonies were reviewed for the study. The political views of the newspapers ranged from those staunchly loyal to Great Britain to those which consistently opposed British policies in the colonies.The political poetry published in colonial newspapers followed the popular literary fashions of the day. Neo-classical forms such as the pastoral eclogue and the rhymed conplet appeared frequently. Ballads and songs were popular and their lyrics were printed in colonial newspapers. Strong literary influences in political poetry were Samuel Butler's Hudibras, the works of Charles Churchill, and Alexander Pope.Political poetry appeared regularly in most British colonial newspapers. It was found that political poetry was published more frequently when the conflict between Great Britain and her American colonies grew more intense. Crises such as the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, the Boston Tea Party, and the so-called "Intolerable Acts" produced a greater volume of political poetry than did the quieter periods between those crises.Political poetry was used as a propaganda device to praise and to attack political and military leaders of both sides in the conflict. Two of the favorite targets of anti-British writers were Thomas Hutchinson and General Thomas Gage the last royal governors of Massachusetts. George Washington, John Hancock, and other colonial leaders were praised by their supporters and satirized by the Loyalists. King George III, who had not been openly attacked until independence was being actively considered, became the subject of vicious poetic attack by early 1776.The armed conflict between the colonies and Great Britain began with Lexington and Concord in April, 1775. From that time through July, 1776, the content of political poetry in colonial newspapers reflected nearly every major event both military and political. Particular attention was given to military heroes, especially those, such as General Richard Montgomery, who were killed in battle. 'she very frequency with which political poetry appeared in colonial newspapers was an indicator of its importance as a propaganda vehicle.The struggle between Loyalist and Whig on the political level was joined at the editorial level as well. Whig editors such as Benjamin Edes, Isaiah Thomas, and Peter Timothy were not sparing in their attacks on the Tory press. They were answered in kind by Tory editors such as Richard Draper, James Rinington and Hugh Gaine. Their conflicts became a subject for political poetry. By 1775 the Loyalist press had been forced to cease publication.Newspapers carried the bulk of revolutionary propaganda. Because they reprinted news from many sources, newspapers gave the public a colony-wide view. Most newspapers printed political poetry; some even carried regular poetry sections, the contents of which were frequently related to the political events of the time. The space given to poetry in colonial newspapers of the period was enormous compared with modern newspapers. The space and position of poetry in the newspapers added another dimension to the use of poetry as a propaganda vehicle.Poetry was not only published in newspapers, it was published as broadsides, in magazines, and in pamphlets. Poetry was also a regular part of the celebrations of various political groups during the period. Poetry became, for organizations such as the Sons of Liberty, an almost ritualistic part of their meetings. Poetry had a wide appeal to many groups within the society of the time.In view of the wide appeal of poetry, its versatility and universality as a propaganda vehicle, and its wide distribution throughout the colonies; it became obvious that political poetry and, more specifically, that poetry which appeared in colonial newspapers, was an effective and integral weapon for both sides in the propaganda war waged between 1765 and 1776.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/181148 |
| Date | January 1971 |
| Creators | Steinaker, Norman Walker |
| Contributors | Stoeckel, Althea L. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | x, 220 leaves ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
| Coverage | n-us--- |
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