Notorious: Maine Crime in the Public Eye, 1690–1940

Literacy

Partly due to the importance placed on reading the Bible, literacy rates in colonial New England outpaced other areas in British America, and even England itself. Higher in urban settings like Boston, an estimated 80-90% of White men in colonial New England could read. Although more prevalent in New England than in its Southern counterparts, literacy was not universal. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, reading rates for White women and People of Color were significantly lower than White men. Studies suggest rates dropped for Black communities and all women during the American Revolution era. Reasons included the rise of anti-literacy laws and increased gender inequities. However, measuring historic literacy rates is problematic, as averages varied across class, race, gender, and geography, further impacted by access to education and personal agency.

Pamphlets

Pamphlets were a common means of communication from the colonial era through the nineteenth century. Inexpensive to produce, a pamphlet is typically folded or loosely bound, and less than 64 pages in length. Known as offset printing, the way in which a pamphlet is printed and folded requires the page numbers to be divisible by eight (including any blank pages).

Conceptually, pamphlets typically focus on a single subject, perhaps a persuasive argument, opinion piece, political propaganda, or general topics of interest. Criminal trial transcripts or summaries were a very popular pamphlet genre, keeping the public informed about notorious crimes.

Broadsides

A broadside is a single piece of paper, typically printed on one side and in single color black ink. Meant for posting in local business, on buildings, or for community circulation, broadsides were an inexpensive and quick way to communicate news and ideas. Modern equivalents include flyers, posters and notices.

On occasion, the terms broadside and handbill are used interchangeably, although a handbill—also known as a circular—is typically smaller and may appear folded like a one-page pamphlet. A good way to remember the difference is: a handbill is small enough to easily hold with one hand.
By design, broadsides are ephemeral and not meant to last. However, their important role in history cannot be discounted. Technically, the Declaration of Independence is a broadside.

Early American Newspapers

Newspapers are defined as continuously published (serialized) titles printed on unbound sheets. Initially, titles were small in format, published weekly or monthly, and typically two to four pages in length. Unlike pamphlets, which focused on a single subject, newspapers discussed a variety of topics. A newspaper publisher sometimes served as both printer and editor—both roles required a license.

It was not uncommon for newspapers—licensed or unlicensed—to be highly politicized. As with today, newspapers at this time relied on subscription sales and advertising revenue. News about warfare, tragedies, and crime kept readers engaged, which in turn drove advertising support. Technically, America’s first newspaper was the outspoken Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick, published in Boston in 1690. [/blockquote]

Intended as a monthly, it lasted only one issue, which reported on British atrocities against Indigenous and French prisoners of war. The Massachusetts government shut it down in an era without freedom of the press. The experience discouraged other would-be newspaper publishers until The Boston News-Letter started in 1704.