UNH historian honored for his article chronicling the history of the newspaper industry and growth of democracy in New Hampshire

“I have always been interested in democratic theories and ideas and how they are implemented,” said Patrick Daley, professor emeritus of the University of New Hampshire’s communications department, as he sat in a study room at Portsmouth Public library.

This interest drove Daley to research the early days of the newspaper industry and how they spurred the adoption of democratic ideals in 18th century New Hampshire. His research resulted in a scholarly article, for which he was recently awarded the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s 26th annual Covert Award in Mass Communication History.

From January 1765 through September 1766, Portsmouth had two newspapers. The New Hampshire Gazette, a newspaper commissioned by the British Royal Governor Benning Wentworth, begun in 1756, was New Hampshire’s first newspaper and is still around today. The other paper was a rogue startup called The Portsmouth Mercury and Weekly Adviser.

Daley wondered why a small community with a population of only 4,500 people needed two newspapers. Particularly two papers that, at first glance, appeared similar.

“What I wanted to find out is whether these competing newspapers aimed their articles at different audiences and, if so, what could one say about the oligarchy versus other, possibly democratic, audiences,” he said.

Further research and closer reading led Daley to the late summer of 1765. The British Parliament had passed the Stamp Act, which required nearly all paper in the American colonies, including newspapers, to carry a tax stamp. Most colonists strongly opposed the act, as they were still not represented in Parliament. They began putting on street demonstrations that culminated in the burning of effigies of British authorities and their colonial counterparts who were influential in passing and enforcing the Stamp Act, particularly the stamp master, or local resident responsible for distributing taxed paper.

According to Daley, New Hampshire was the least democratic colony at the time. He described the opposition movement to the Stamp Act as “the politics of the street.” It was the first time the political process was taken out from behind closed doors and put in the hands of everyday people.

The newspapers’ coverage of these processionals is what truly distinguished them.

Daley found subtle differences between how the rivals’ coverage unfolded. The “Gazette” was careful to direct attention away from George Meserve, New Hampshire’s paper distributor. However, Daley said, “The Mercury put the spotlight on Meserve and kept it on him,” attempting to shame him for accepting the position.

Additionally, while The Gazette referred to onlookers and participants in the demonstrations as masses, simply stating hundreds or thousands of people attended, The Mercury noted that people from all societal “ranks” took part.

“People identified with these stories. It gave them a sense of power. They were players in a new democratic process. They now felt as if they were important, too, and should be listened to. The Mercury opened up opportunities for those excluded to politics before,” Daley said.

Daley said the “Mercury” also employed epistolary, or newsletter-form journalism. It created fictional characters of the lower “sort,” or class, which poked fun at the refined establishment. Using bad grammar and other deliberate errors, The Mercury was creating a parody of Wentworth’s oligarchy, expressing a conviction to make its true views about the Stamp Act and elite society known.

“This competition was an important historical movement in which competing ideas gave people the opportunity to weigh in and see their views represented. Once this happened, there was no turning back,” Daley said.

He cited the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects freedom of speech, press and association. “It guarantees a collective—not individual—power. That’s what democracy is all about,” he said.

Copies of Daley’s article can be found locally at the Portsmouth Athenaeum, special collections at Portsmouth Public Library, or in the archives at the University of New Hampshire’s Dimond Library in Durham. Daley can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .