How does a bastard, an orphan, a motherfucker and a Scotsman who fell in the middle of a forgotten place in the Caribbean start an important daily newspaper?
Fans of “Hamilton” have learned a lot about America’s first secretary of the treasury from the popular musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda, which released on Friday at Disney +, which they may not have known about before.
Alexander Hamilton was a scruffy immigrant from Saint Kitts and Nevis. Prolific writer, he composed 51 of the Federalist Papers, but then a scandalous affair reduced his chances of a political future.
However, many Broadway fans do not do it They know one of Hamilton’s enduring achievements, which they see online every day at newsstands: He founded the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States: The New York Post.
In an attempt to make a New York newspaper with a strong Federalist Party stance, as opposed to President Thomas Jefferson’s ruling Democratic-Republican Party, Hamilton attempted to raise $ 10,000 to finance the project.
“Hamilton hoped that the Post would lead the way for other federalist newspapers and give life to an almost dying party,” wrote author Ron Chernow in his biography “Alexander Hamilton.”
Hamilton contributed $ 1,000 of his own money (about $ 20,000 when adjusted for inflation) and, according to legend, secured the rest of the cash during a meeting at the downtown Gracie Mansion, which today serves as the mayor’s residence.
The first issue was published on November 16, 1801, almost three years before Hamilton died in an infamous duel with Aaron Burr. In the beginning, the Evening Post was simply a sheet of paper folded in half to create four pages, according to Allan Nevins’ book “The Evening Post: A Century of Journalism.” Controversial journalist James T. Callender called it “the most elegant piece of workmanship we have ever seen, whether in Europe or America.”
Early subscribers included John Jacob Astor, the great-grandfather of millionaire real estate magnate John Jacob Astor, who died in the sinking of the Titanic, and Daniel D. Tompkins, who later became Governor and Vice President of New York and is the same name. from Tompkins Square Park.
The Post was not a vanity project for Hamilton, who frequently used the newspaper to wage vicious political battles.
From December 1801 to April 1802, Hamilton wrote an 18-piece series under the pseudonym Lucius Crassus called “The Examination” attacking President Jefferson, and he did not strike.
“The President’s Message, for whatever reason it has been dictated, is an action that should alarm all those who are anxious for the security of our Government, for the respectability and well-being of our nation,” he wrote in the first entry. . “He makes, or intends to make, the most lavish sacrifice of constitutional energy, sound principles, and the public interest, for the popularity of one man.”
Oh.
The Post’s historical story of local crime coverage began early, and sadly, with the grieving death of Hamilton’s son Philip at age 19.
“His attitude on the ground was calm and composed beyond expression,” a Post journalist wrote on the scene. “The idea of his own danger seemed to be lost in anticipation of the satisfaction he could receive from the final triumph of his generous restraint.”
According to Chernow, Hamilton and The Post aimed to depoliticize the tragic murder, which was committed by a young Jeffersonian named George Eacker, who infuriated Philip with an anti-Hamilton speech. Hamilton did not want to be blamed for the death of his own son.
The Post even wrote an anti-mourning editorial after years, before Hamilton died in the same bloody way.
“Reflections on this horrible custom occur to all men of humanity,” the newspaper said. “But the voice of an individual or the press must be ineffective without additional, strong and pointed legislative interference.”
When Hamilton died in 1804 and was buried during a military-style funeral near Trinity Church, The Post was there to witness the final dispatch of one of the city’s most famous and admired citizens and the new nation.
“The scene was enough to melt a marble monument,” The Post said of sadness at the premature loss of a founding father.
New York remains the world’s largest city 218 years later, and Hamilton’s New York Post continues to tell its story.
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