Okay, let’s talk about blogs. I know you’re asking, “What do blogs have to do with the Hamilton and Burr duel?” Well, not much, but there is a real similarity between the newspapers and brochures of that time and blogs of today.

Remember when Rhonda talked to you about The Federalist Papers? How about Thomas Paines’ Common Sense? I bet you’ve heard of that. The Federalist Papers, as you know, were a series of articles while Common Sense was a pamphlet, written by Thomas Paine, arguing against British rule in the American Colonies. Both of these documents were published anonymously. Thomas Paine even donated the copyright for Common Sense to the American Colonies. Imagine that? He didn’t see one cent after the pamphlet sold hundreds of thousands of copies. Why do I bring up these two documents? Because they are similar to blogs of today. While those documents argued politics, there are many blogs of today that argue politics. A lot of blogs even argue politics using fake names!

Now, remember when Dean talked about newspapers printing nasty articles about Burr? Well, that was because newspapers were openly for one party or the other, right? Blogs of today can be like that too! Many politicians of the day wrote letters or articles and published them through newspapers like “The Evening Post.” The editors of these papers took up political positions and ran stories on that position for days in a row. This is not unlike blogs of today. “The Evening Post” was a Federalist newspaper, backed by Federalist money while the “American Citizen” was a Democratic-Republican newspaper.

The printing press is to the late 1700’s as the Internet is to 2000. The printing press made getting out information and views easier for anyone. It was vital to keep the public informed to news and also in swaying opinion. Ben Franklin, friend of the Superhero Historians, helped make printing big, by having a “network” of printing presses stretching through the colonies. The British attempted to keep a hold on printing, but they could not do it. Thomas Jefferson, Hamilton’s political rival, said “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, it expects what never was and never will be. ... When the press is free and every man can read, all is safe.” Freedom of the press is still one of the greatest rights in the United States. The printing press gave freedom for many to spread their ideas, blogs of today offer the same opportunity.