Farewell to Learning
Incomplete copies of the Declaration of Independence still have stories to tell
When Benjamin Dearborn died in 1838 at the age of 83, he was remembered in obituaries as “a man of science, and author of many useful inventions.” But his career began as a printer. Dearborn launched a newspaper in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in May 1776, when he was about 22 years old.
In a message to his subscribers in the first issue of the Freeman’s Journal, or New-Hampshire Gazette on May 25, 1776, Dearborn focused on “one of the most sacred rights of a free people”: the freedom of the press. If people lost access to a free press, then, “farewell to Peace, Liberty, and safety, farewell to Learning, Knowledge and Truth, farewell all that is dear to us.” Dearborn made no secret of his political allegiance. He saw a clear connection between independence and the freedom of the press. “Under the auspicious smiles of the worthy encouragers of this free paper,” Dearborn wrote, “the publisher intends to promote the grand cause in which his country is engaged, for the preservation of it’s inherent rights and privileges.”
Eight weeks later, Benjamin Dearborn printed the Declaration of Independence in the Freeman’s Journal. He devoted the entire back page of the newspaper to the Declaration, with a bold title in the center of the page and the text arranged in three even columns. The Freeman’s Journal could be split in half, and the Declaration could be preserved or posted up, like a broadside.
Freeman’s Journal, July 20, 1776, p. 4, Dartmouth College via Library of Congress
One copy of the Freeman’s Journal, in the collections of Dartmouth College, is lacking. The top right corner of the Declaration of Independence is missing from this Portsmouth newspaper. The end of the list of grievances against King George III is unreadable. The reason for this conspicuous tear in the newspaper might be on the other side of the page. Other copies of this issue of Dearborn’s newspaper survive intact, providing a potential clue.
Freeman’s Journal, July 20, 1776, p. 3, Dartmouth College via Library of Congress
The third page of the Freeman’s Journal shows that the paper was torn to just above a heading reading “NEW YORK, July 11.” The missing piece of news was a continuation from the previous page, also under a New York heading, but dated a few weeks earlier, June 19. This article described an “elegant entertainment” hosted by the New York Provincial Congress in honor of General George Washington and his officers. A number of toasts were offered at this event, and the list stretched onto the next page of the Freeman’s Journal.
The list of toasts began with the Congress, the American military, and supporters of the American colonies. The toasts continued in the first column of the third page, including:
“May the strength of the British constitution expel the poison of corruption.
May the industry of the Americans be equal to the natural resources of their country.
May the ruins of the British empire crush those who undermined its pillars.
May the crowns of tyrants be crowns of thorns.
Civil & religious liberty to all mankind.”
Why would someone tear this list of toasts out of the Freeman’s Journal? It seems more intentional than coincidental. Although the sentiments were principally anti-British, some of them may have felt outdated after independence, especially the toasts offered to the memory of former monarchs William of Orange and George II. Perhaps someone tore out the list of toasts because they disagreed with them. But in the process, they lost part of the Declaration of Independence, too.
The rest of the page torn page, on the other side of the Declaration, featured news of how people reacted to the news of independence. This included descriptions of the destruction of the statue of George III in New York City, as well as the celebration in Portsmouth on July 19, steps from Benjamin Dearborn’s printing office. The militia companies gathered on the parade, where the Declaration was “read, in the hearing of a numerous and respectable auditory.” The crowd responded with three huzzahs.
Benjamin Dearborn’s efforts to have the Declaration in its entirety on one page were compromised by someone later tearing the page. Whether this tear happened in 1776 because of the content on the other side of the page, or later, or for other reasons, is not clear. Regardless, incomplete copies of the Declaration of Independence still have stories to tell.
Where to See It Online: Dartmouth College via Library of Congress
