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The ''Pennsylvania Packet and the General Advertiser'' was an American newspaper that was founded in 1771. In 1784, it became the first successful daily newspaper published in the United States.


History and notable features

The paper was founded by John Dunlap as a weekly paper in late 1771. It was based in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, except during the British occupation of the city between 1777 and 1778, when Dunlap published the paper in Lancaster. David C. Claypoole eventually became a partner with Dunlap. As of September 21, 1784, the paper was issued as the ''Pennsylvania Packet, and Daily Advertiser'', reflecting the paper's move to daily publication. This newspaper subsequently underwent additional name changes, dropping the ''Pennsylvania Packet'' prefix in 1791 and becoming ''Dunlap's American Daily Advertiser'' (1791–1793), ''Dunlap and Claypoole's American Daily Advertiser'' (1793–1795), and ''Claypoole's American Daily Advertiser'' (1796-1800). On September 21, 1796, it became the first to publish
George Washington's Farewell Address Washington's Farewell Address is a letter written by President of the United States, President George Washington as a Valediction, valedictory to "friends and fellow-citizens" after 20 years of public service to the United States. He wrote it ...
. In 1800, Zachariah Poulson purchased the paper and renamed it ''Poulson's American Daily Advertiser''. In 1825, the
Marquis De Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette (; 6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (), was a French military officer and politician who volunteered to join the Conti ...
granted an interview to "Poulson's Advertiser" during his famous visit to the United States. Poulson ran the paper for almost forty years; at the end of 1839, he sold the publication to the owners of the recently founded ''
North American North America is a continent in the Northern and Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the sou ...
''. The ''North American'' featured the 1771 founding of the ''Packet'' as its heritage. To the extent it can honestly be traced past this point, the final successor of the ''Packet'' can be said to be ''
The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...
''.Watson, John Fanning
Annals of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania in Olden Time, Vol. 2
p. 34-35 (1844)
Scharf, J. Thomas and Wescott, Thompson
History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884, Volume 3
p. 1966-68 (1884)
Lee, Alfred McClung
The Daily Newspaper in America: The Evolution of a Social Instrument
p.169-70 (1937)


See also

*
Early American publishers and printers Early American publishers and printers played a central role in the social, religious, political and commercial development of the Thirteen Colonies in British America prior to and during the American Revolution and the ensuing American Revol ...
* Newspapers of colonial America


References

{{Authority control Newspapers established in 1771 Defunct newspapers published in Pennsylvania Defunct newspapers of Philadelphia 1771 establishments in Pennsylvania Publications disestablished in 1840 1840 disestablishments in the United States Newspapers of colonial America