The Stamp Act was created in Parliament to stop newspapers from fomenting revolutionary ideas in the American colonies. The Act was regarded as a fatal blow to free speech. All newspaper editors understood this. Jonas Green, owner and editor of the Maryland Gazette, joined many others in protesting the Stamp Act in 1765. His headline was “The Maryland Gazette, EXPIRING: In Uncertain Hopes of a Resurrection to Life Again.” In the lower right hand corner of his front page, he placed a skull and crossbones, instead of the stamp. He wrote about the expiration of free speech. The piece of type you see here was often used to head obituaries. Jonas and his equally patriotic spouse Anne Catharine celebrated liberty throughout their terms as editors of the Gazette. When Archaeology in Annapolis excavated the remains of their print shop, the piece of type used to create the image on the front page was recovered.
