The Royal Gazette Newspaper

The Royal Gazette was published by Loyalist printer James Rivington in British-held New York City from 1777 to 1783. This Jan. 24, 1778, issue contains the complete text of the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, adopted for ratification by the Continental Congress in November 1777. Although final ratification did not occur until 1781, the Articles acted as the de facto system of government for the United States from the end of 1777 until the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1788.

Within British-occupied New York, life continued. As the newspaper advertisements show, stores were full of goods, from textiles and foodstuffs to ale, porter, and madeira brought in from London. Yet hints of the war being fought found their way onto the front page, reminding readers of the desperate struggles happening just outside the city, and around the world. 

Artifact Details

• Newspaper
  James Rivington, publisher
  New York, New York
  January 24, 1778
  Ink on Paper
  Museum of the American Revolution (Benninghoff Collection), 2007.00.0458