The New York Aurora

The New York Aurora was a 19th-century daily newspaper in New York City.

History

Founded in 1841, the newspaper claimed to be politically independent but also "democratic, in the strongest sense of the word".[1] The four-page, two-penny daily newspaper was owned by Anson Herrick and John F. Ropes and had a circulation of about 5,000.[2] Its first editor was Thomas Low Nichols, who left by February 1842 after printing a libelous article.[3]

Walt Whitman began contributing to the Aurora in February 1842; his first works in the publication are likely the series "Walks in Broadway".[4] He was named the paper's editor on March 28, 1842.[5] In his editorials, Whitman was open in expressing his personal opinions and beliefs and wrote about New York attractions and personalities, local theater and opera, and various happenings around the city.[6] The Brooklyn Eagle praised the new editor as offering "marked change for the better" but noted "a dash of egotism" in him.[6] In fact, owners Anson and Herrick accused Whitman of writing biased articles, including some that criticized Bishop John Hughes as "serpent tongued" and a "hypocritical scoundrel".[7] Their quarrels led to Whitman leaving the Aurora in May 1842.[8]

References
  1. Erkilla, Betsy. Whitman the Political Poet. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989: 27. ISBN 0-19-505438-5
  2. Oliver, Charles M. Critical Companion to Walt Whitman: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work. New York: Facts on File, 2006: 318. ISBN 0-8160-5768-0
  3. Reynolds, David S. Walt Whitman's America: A Cultural Biography. New York: Vintage Books, 1995: 92. ISBN 0-679-76709-6
  4. Krieg, Joann P. A Whitman Chronology. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1998: 12. ISBN 0-87745-647-X
  5. Stacy, Jason. Walt Whitman's Multitudes: Labor Reform and Persona in Whitman's Journalism and the First 'Leaves of Grass', 1840–1855. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2008: 6. ISBN 978-1-4331-0383-4
  6. Greenspan, Ezra. Walt Whitman and the American Reader. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990: 48. ISBN 0-521-38469-9
  7. Oliver, Charles M. Critical Companion to Walt Whitman: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work. New York: Facts on File, 2006: 319. ISBN 0-8160-5768-0
  8. Krieg, Joann P. A Whitman Chronology. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1998: 13. ISBN 0-87745-647-X
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