Royal American Magazine
Encyclopedia
The Royal American Magazine, or Universal Repository of Instruction and Amusement (January 1774 - March 1775) was a short-lived monthly periodical published in Boston
, Massachusetts
by Isaiah Thomas
and later by Joseph Greenleaf. It supported patriot
sentiment. Contributors included John Hancock
and Paul Revere
.
. The first issue appeared in January 1774. It included a mix of original work and pieces reprinted from the British press: "conventional essays; articles on politics, medicine, agriculture, education, literature, and religion, advice to the ladies; fiction; 'poetical essays;' and current events, including marriages, deaths and meteorological tables." "The title of the Royal American Magazine epitomizes the magazine's double nature: it both wanted to imitate the British models of polite literature...and to advance the cause of the American patriots"
"Besides the usual variety of general literature, this work contains a faithful summary of the public transactions of Boston during that eventful year, and great value is added to the work by the public documents preserved in its pages," such as Thomas Hutchinson's History of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay.
Despite its relative success, the magazine ceased in March 1775. "The general distress and commotion in the town, occasioned by the operation of the act of the British parliament to blockade the port of Boston
, obliged him to discontinue it ... much to the injury of his pecuniary interest." The Royal American Magazine was "the last of the periodicals of Boston under the provincial governors."
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...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
by Isaiah Thomas
Isaiah Thomas
Isaiah Thomas , was an American newspaper publisher and author. He performed the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence in Worcester, Massachusetts and reported the first account of the Battles of Lexington and Concord...
and later by Joseph Greenleaf. It supported patriot
Patriot (American Revolution)
Patriots is a name often used to describe the colonists of the British Thirteen United Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution. It was their leading figures who, in July 1776, declared the United States of America an independent nation...
sentiment. Contributors included John Hancock
John Hancock
John Hancock was a merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts...
and Paul Revere
Paul Revere
Paul Revere was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. He is most famous for alerting Colonial militia of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride...
.
History
In 1773 Thomas solicited subscribers to the proposed magazine, placing advertisements in local New England newspapers such as The Boston News-LetterThe Boston News-Letter
First published on April 24, 1704, The Boston News-Letter is regarded as the first continuously published newspaper in British North America. It was heavily subsidized by the British government, with a limited circulation. The colonies’ first newspaper was Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and...
. The first issue appeared in January 1774. It included a mix of original work and pieces reprinted from the British press: "conventional essays; articles on politics, medicine, agriculture, education, literature, and religion, advice to the ladies; fiction; 'poetical essays;' and current events, including marriages, deaths and meteorological tables." "The title of the Royal American Magazine epitomizes the magazine's double nature: it both wanted to imitate the British models of polite literature...and to advance the cause of the American patriots"
"Besides the usual variety of general literature, this work contains a faithful summary of the public transactions of Boston during that eventful year, and great value is added to the work by the public documents preserved in its pages," such as Thomas Hutchinson's History of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay.
Despite its relative success, the magazine ceased in March 1775. "The general distress and commotion in the town, occasioned by the operation of the act of the British parliament to blockade the port of Boston
Boston Port Act
The Boston Port Act is an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which became law on March 30, 1774, and is one of the measures that were designed to secure Great Britain's jurisdictions over her American dominions.A response to the Boston Tea Party, it outlawed the use...
, obliged him to discontinue it ... much to the injury of his pecuniary interest." The Royal American Magazine was "the last of the periodicals of Boston under the provincial governors."
Further reading
- Frank Luther Mott. "Royal American Magazine." A History of American Magazines, Volume I, 1741-1850. Harvard U.P., 1930; p.83+
- Edward W. R. Pitcher. The Royal American magazine, 1774-1775 : an annotated catalogue. Lewiston, N.Y. ; Lampeter : E. Mellen Press, c2001. (Studies in British and American magazines v. 12).