January 6 not only marked the first week of Missouri’s bicentennial year, but also the 200th anniversary of the first issue of the Jackson, Missouri, Independent Patriot.
The newspaper, launched by Stephen Remington, was the fourth Missouri newspaper. Amazingly, even though Jackson was a small town in 1821, the Independent Patriot was its second newspaper. The Missouri Herald appeared between 1819 and 1820. The first Missouri newspaper, the Missouri Gazette and Public Advertiser, began in 1808. The Missouri Intelligencer in Franklin, Missouri followed in 1819. Concurrent with the Independent Patriot, The Correspondent and Ste. Genevieve Record began publication in 1821.
Most small 19th century newspapers had a dearth of local news, so much of the content was articles from other newspapers. Similar to today, this included national and international news. Government news and actions dominated state news. Other content included lists of letters addressed to local people at the post office, legal notices, and advertisements.
Although the Patriot seemed to be relatively unbiased, much of journalism contemporary to Missouri statehood included a healthy dose of the editor’s opinions, even in news articles. Subscription rates were modest by modern standards. Potential subscribers nonetheless had limited cash, and many editor-publishers took payment in produce or even livestock.
The Independent Patriot did have lofty goals, as indicated by the “Proposal” included in the first issue. This stated, in part, “That the general diffusion of political intelligence, is the only sure guarantee of the existence and purity of a republican government, is a fact deduced from history, and confirmed by experience: where that intelligence has been wanting, the decay of this government has ever been certain and inevitable.”
As with many early newspapers, the Independent Patriot was relatively short-lived. No known issues exist after December, 1826.
