The Daily Union (Washington [D.C.])
Historic newspapers carry the language, views and graphic reporting of their time, including racist content. They are shown to teen and adult profiles.
3,707 issues from 1845 to 1857, published in Washington, District Of Columbia, digitised for Chronicling America.
On May 1, 1845, Thomas Ritchie published the first issue of the Daily Union, which would become, along with the Intelligencer, a major Washington, D.C. newspaper. Ritchie was one of the most influential journalists of his time. On the cover of the Daily Union‘s second issue, he explained to readers his purchase of the Daily Globe, which preceded the Daily Union, published by Francis Blair and his partner, John C. Rives. Ritchie stated that while he and his staff lacked experience in newspaper editing, they were committed to promote “liberty, the Union of the United States, and the Constitution.” In the Daily Union‘s first editorial, Ritchie wrote a short history of the United States, along with its economic policies, ranging from the issues of paper currency, to the national bank of the country that, by 1845, was defunct. This fact encouraged Ritchie, who held the bank responsible for the Panic of 1837 and the ensuing economic depression.
As a proponent of the Democratic Party and its then-leader President James K. Polk, the paper took repeated swipes at the Whig Party, often focusing on its economic policies related to the national bank. Ritchie also criticized the Whigs for promoting big government, while promoting the country’s private institutions which purportedly offered individuals the opportunity to work.
Over ensuing years, the Union and the Intelligencer traded as Washington’s official paper, depending on which political party was in control. Under the…
- Genres
- News
- Published in
- Washington, District Of Columbia, United States
- Language
- English
- Collection
- Chronicling America
- Licence or status
- None stated by the archive
- Rights
- The Library of Congress believes that the newspapers in Chronicling America are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions. Newspapers published in the United States more than 95 years ago are in the public domain in their entirety.
- Credit
- Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities
- Who can read it
- Teens profiles and older (placed by Invisible Network from what the archive says; archives give no ratings)
- Archive
- Library of Congress