Original post-Revolutionary War newspaper: THE FREEMAN'S JOURNAL; OR, THE NORTH-AMERICAN INTELLIGENCER. Published in Philadelphia by Francis Bailey, at Yorick's Head, Market Street, March 24, 1784 (Vol. III, No. CLIII).
MORRIS was one of the most influential yet complex figures of the American founding era. His extraordinary wealth and financial acumen practically bankrolled the birth of the United States.MORRIS holds a unique place in American political history as one of only two individuals (the other being Roger Sherman) to sign all three of the nation's foundational documents:
The Declaration of Independence (1776)
The Articles of Confederation (1777)
The United States Constitution (1787)
By the late stages of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress was completely bankrupt, and its paper currency ("the Continental") was virtually worthless. In 1781, Congress turned to MORRIS appointing him to the newly created, highly powerful post of Superintendent of Finance.
Saving the War Effort: Working closely with general George Washington and collaborating heavily with broker Haym Salomon, MORRIS personally secured the massive funds, loans, and physical supplies required to mount the decisive Battle of Yorktown in 1781.
Systemic Reforms: To stabilize the crumbling economy, MORRIS established the Bank of North America—the first congressionally chartered national bank. He also reformed government contracting to slash wartime waste.Wikipedia
The March 1784 Context: The public notice visible in your March 24, 1784 copy of The Freeman's Journalrepresents the very end of his tenure. Frustrated by the central government's total lack of authority to levy national taxes or tariffs under the weak Articles of Confederation, MORRIS officially resigned his post later that year in November 1784.
Despite once being considered the wealthiest man in America, MORRIS's post-senatorial life took a tragic turn.
Over-Speculation: Enticed by the massive expansion of the expanding American frontier, MORRIS heavily over-leveraged his assets in massive, aggressive land speculation ventures.
Debtors' Prison: When the Panic of 1796–1797 struck, the real estate market collapsed, leaving MORRIS completely illiquid and buried in unpayable debt.
Later Life: In a stunning turn of fortune, the man who personally financed the independence of the United States was arrested by his creditors and confined to the Prune Street debtors' apartment in Philadelphia from 1798 to 1801. He was released only after Congress passed the first federal bankruptcy laws in 1800, living out his remaining few years in modest obscurity until his death in 1806.
Also in the issue:
*Advertisements for books (Abridgement of the Lives of the British Poets, Buchan's Domestic Medicine, Sheridan's Rhetorical Grammar),
*Runaway notice
*Imported goods by George Meade (Green Tea, Sherry, Jamaica rum),
*Fishing tackle ad, including a woodblock print of a fish as well as ad for FOWLING PIECES and HOLSTER PISTOLS
*A runaway indented servant notice.
*Slave for sale
*Wet nurses looking for employment
Also Includes:
*A legal proclamation by THOMAS M'KEAN, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and signer of the Declaration of Independence.
*Letters to "Friend Bailey" and news reports from London mentioning William Pitt the Younger as First Lord of the Treasury. *Advertisements include Bell's Book Store, Franklin Tavern reopening, and a French Evening School.
Condition: Paper is firm and bright. Spine firm with no disbinding holes. Some age toning, scattered foxing, a piece of bottom right corner in the margin area missing, has original mailing fold lines. Text legible. A I/8th inch hole one inch from top edge below the "H" of "THE" in the masthead.