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Chronicling America
National Endowment for the Humanities

Newspaper American Mechanic and Home Journal (Norwich, Conn.) 1849-18??

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About American Mechanic and Home Journal (Norwich, Conn.) 1849-18??

In its first issue, the American Mechanic and Home Journal, published in Norwich, Connecticut, by Ayer & Co., proclaimed itself “Bound to Advocate the Cause of the Working Class.” In the salutatory, “To the Public,” the Journal‘s editor committed the newspaper to promoting the “general interests of the mechanic and the laborer,” including the ten-hour system. “We wish to see [the ten-hour workday] established in every factory and workshop throughout the country,” he wrote. The editor went on to say: “The custom of compelling operatives to work thirteen or fourteen hours a day in the confined atmosphere of a factory is injurious to health and morals.” The Journal was skeptical of the major political parties and urged mechanics to support “the independent course in favor of the working classes and the cause of Labor Reform.”

While news and commentary from national and foreign papers was reprinted frequently, educational pieces marked as “original” to the Journal appeared as well. One such piece gave instruction on the cultivation of fruit trees. Another introduced mechanics to basic ideas about chemistry. Advertisements from trades people included those from masons; tin plate, copper, and sheet metal workers; potters; carpenters; and coach makers. Dealers of fish, meat, gravestones, and other everyday goods also placed display ads in the paper. A single issue of the American Mechanic and Home Journal cost 4 cents, and a subscription cost $1.50 a year.

Provided By: Connecticut State Library, Hartford, CT

About this Newspaper

Title

  • American Mechanic and Home Journal (Norwich, Conn.) 1849-18??

Dates of Publication

  • 1849-18??

Created / Published

  • Norwich, Conn. : Ayer & Co., 1849-

Headings

  • -  Working class--Connecticut--Newspapers
  • -  Norwich (Conn.)--Newspapers
  • -  Working class
  • -  Connecticut
  • -  Connecticut--Norwich
  • -  United States--Connecticut--New London--Norwich

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Vol. 1, no. 1 (Nov. 16, 1849)-
  • -  Also issued on microfilm from Connecticut State Library, Hartford, CT.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.

Medium

  • v.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn93053981

OCLC Number

  • 28154582

ISSN Number

  • 2642-7087

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

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. Any newspapers in Chronicling America that were published less than 95 years ago are also believed to be in the public domain, but may contain some copyrighted third party materials. Researchers using newspapers published less than 95 years ago should be alert for modern content (for example, registered and renewed for copyright and published with notice) that may be copyrighted. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

The NEH awardee responsible for producing each digital object is presented in the Chronicling America page display, below the page image – e.g. Image produced by the Library of Congress. For more information on current NDNP awardees, see https://aj.sunback.homes/ndnp/listawardees.html.

For more information on Library of Congress policies and disclaimers regarding rights and reproductions, see https://aj.sunback.homes/homepage/legal.html

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

American Mechanic and Home Journal Norwich, Conn. -18??. (Norwich, CT), Jan. 1 1849. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn93053981/.

APA citation style:

(1849, January 1) American Mechanic and Home Journal Norwich, Conn. -18??. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn93053981/.

MLA citation style:

American Mechanic and Home Journal Norwich, Conn. -18??. (Norwich, CT) 1 Jan. 1849. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, aj.sunback.homes/item/sn93053981/.