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Lot 242
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Presbyterian & Methodist Episcopal Churches Praise Washington in Important June 1789 Issue of "Gazette of the United States"
Presbyterian & Methodist Episcopal Churches Praise Washington in Important June 1789 Issue of "Gazette of the United States"
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Description:

18th C. Religion
New York, NY, June 3-6, 1789
Presbyterian & Methodist Episcopal Churches Praise Washington in Important June 1789 Issue of "Gazette of the United States"
Newspaper
A very good copy of the important June 3-6, 1789 issue, No. XVI, of the "Gazette of the United States" (New York: "Published by John Fenno, No. 9, Maiden Lane, near the Oswego-Market, New-York"). Divided into four 3-column pages corresponding to pg. 61-64. Printed on laid paper. Expected wear including uneven toning, isolated water stains and discoloration, edge darkening and chipping. Flattened folds and some pin pricks near the gutter, else very good. 10.25" x 17.375."

The "Gazette of the United States" was a Federalist-leaning partly government-funded semiweekly newspaper established in New York City less than two months earlier, in mid-April 1789, by founder and editor John Fenno. The newspaper featured news items, excerpts from essays, poems, and letters, as well as shipping information, obituaries, and human interest stories. The June 3-6, 1789 issue, for example, addresses a range of issues both large and small, from pre-engaged elections to America's future role in territorial expansion and commerce, from Congressional proceedings related to revenue collection and convention delegates to the newest spinning machine in Philadelphia and the popularity of calico printing.

This issue is prized among early American newspaper collectors because it contains two very important news items. First, it includes reprinted letters of congratulations to recently elected President George Washington from some of the most popular religious organizations in the United States, the Presbyterians and the Methodist Episcopalians. Washington had secured all 69 Electoral College votes and 100% of the popular vote in the first presidential election, which took place from December 15 - January 7, 1789. Many of America's religious communities published their congratulatory messages to President Washington in newspapers and other printed media, and their messages testify to the robust religious diversity in the United States during the era. Second, this issue reproduces the text of the first Act passed by the first U.S. Congress on June 1, 1789, "An Act to Regulate the Time and Manner of Administering Certain Oaths," signed in print at the conclusion by both George Washington and John Adams.

This issue prints the Address from the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of the United States to President George Washington, delivered May 26, 1789 at Philadelphia, on the third page (p. 63). Presbyterian leaders congratulated Washington, delighting in his election, and urging him to continue working towards God's goals. Washington's grateful response follows, and he has signed in print as "George Washington."

In part:

"To the President of the United States. Sir, The general Assembly of the Presbyterian church, in the United States of America, embrace the earliest opportunity in their power, to testify the lively and unfeigned pleasure which they, with the rest of their fellow-citizens, feel on your appointment to the first office in the nation. We adore Almighty God the Author of every perfect gift, who hath endued you with such a rare and happy assemblage of talents, as hath rendered you equally necessary to your country in war and in peace…"

The community's Address to George Washington was issued at the very first General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of the United States in May 1789. At the time, the church had an estimated membership of 18,000 - a sizable number.

This issue also reproduces the Address of the Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church to President George Washington, delivered May 29, 1789 in New York, on the fourth page (pg. 64). Spokesmen Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke called Washington a "friend of mankind" and celebrated the wisdom of the "Governor of the Universe" in securing Washington's election. Washington's humble reply is signed in print as "G. Washington."

In part:

"Sir, We, the Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church, humbly beg leave, in the name of our Society collectively in these United States, to express to you the warm feelings of our hearts, and our sincere congratulations on your appointment to the Presidentship of these States. - We are conscious, from the signal proofs you have already given, that you are a friend of mankind; and under this established idea, place as full a confidence in your wisdom and integrity, for the preservation of those civil and religious liberties which have been transmitted to us by the Providence of God and glorious Revolution, as we believe, ought to be reposed in man…"

The Methodist Episcopal Church was founded by John Wesley just a few years earlier, in 1784. Wesley had notably withheld his support for the American Revolution, and by extension, for George Washington and other Patriots. Wesley objected to both the ideology and practice of the Revolution, arguing that Americans still enjoyed many liberties under British rule, and condemning the Patriots' zealousness and intolerance. Wesley advocated a distinctly pro-British stance in his 1775 "A Calm Address to Our American Colonies." Thus, the complimentary address which the Methodist Episcopalians delivered to Washington in a very public way after his presidential election marked a significant reversal of their old position. In 1788, there were approximately 37,000 members of the denomination, of whom more than 6,000 were Black.

The issue also refers to the very first Act passed by the first U.S. Congress, "An Act to Regulate the Time and Manner of Administering Certain Oaths," passed on June 1, 1789.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 10.25" x 17.375"
  • Medium: Newspaper

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