This is a list of
pamphlet wars in history. For several centuries after the printing press became common, people would print their own ideas in small pamphlets somewhat akin to modern blogs:[1] while these could not be widely available via the internet they could "go viral",[2] because others were free to reprint pamphlets they liked, and therefore ideas were widely spread.[3] Counter-arguments would then be printed in opposing pamphlets, which might become popular themselves. A prolonged debate carried out this way changed society many times, until copyright laws effectively banned the propagation of ideas in this way.[4][citation needed]
1517 — The
Protestant Reformation —
Martin Luther's
95 Theses is simply the most famous salvo in a prolonged pamphlet war that ended up triggering the secession of much of Europe from the Catholic Church (and later reform of that organization), after similar efforts had failed in the past without the printing press to support them.[citation needed]
1655 —
Resettlement of the Jews in England — The legalization of the open practice of Judaism in England resulted in a pamphlet war, which because of its civil and abstract nature is sometimes credited as preventing the growth of antisemitism during the debate. This featured
PuritanWilliam Prynne writing in opposition and
Margaret Fell, a founder of the
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in support of liberalization.[8]
1680 — The
Popish Plot — An invented controversy used to drum up anti-Catholic hysteria in England and Scotland.[9]
1697 — Nonconformity —
Daniel Defoe was eventually imprisoned by
Queen Anne as a
nonconformist who had advocated for her predecessor,
William III during a pamphlet war over his policies, including the arguably illegal maintenance of a standing army during peacetime, widely recognized as a threat to liberty, but defended by .[11][failed verification][12]
1707 — Queen Anne's Governor — A pamphlet war in Boston, criticizing Queen Anne's choice of governor for the
Massachusetts Bay Colony, a proxy attack criticizing
Queen Anne's War.[13]
1721 — Bank of Ireland Charter — One of the many rhetorical conflicts in which
Jonathan Swift took part, attacking what he and Daniel DeFoe called "air money", certificates of gold or land deposits being used like paper money by the Bank of Ireland.[14]
1764 — The
Paxton Boys — Tension over a failure to protect a frontier village from tribal aggression peaked with a massacre of innocent
Conestoga Indians. After
Ben Franklin interceded, the conflict was primarily conducted through pamphleteering, which is seen by some as having proved a non-violent alternative to the previous violence.[2][15]
1776 —
The American Revolution — Progress toward secession from the British Empire was based primarily on debates carried out in pamphlet form, including outrage over the
Boston Massacre and also the crucial publication that swung sentiment from reform to secession,
Common Sense.[17]
1809 —
Christian Missions in India — A debate over the acceptability of British Christians attempting to convert colonies ruled by the empire, a practice that went against the tradition of non-interference in local religions.[19]
^The Well-ordered Universe: The Philosophy of Margaret Cavendish "William Cavendish invited Hobbes and Bishop Bramhall to his home to discuss human freedom, and, at his request, Bramhall and Hobbes both later wrote down their views. Hobbes' manuscript was translated into French, and, years later, in 1654, the translator published Hobbes' original manuscript without his permission. A pamphlet war between Bramhall and Hobbes ensued."
^The Debate over the Resettlement of Jews in England, 1655–56 In the years 1655–56, the controversy over the readmission of Jews was fought out in a pamphlet war. The issue divided religious radicals from each another as well as from more conservative members of society. William Prynne was vehemently opposed to permitting Jews to return, the Quaker Margaret Fell no less passionately in favor.
^Henrietta Heald (1992). Chronicle of Britain: Incorporating a Chronicle of Ireland. Jacques Legrand. p. 605.
ISBN9781872031354.
^The Political Ideas of Daniel Defoe An Argument Showing That a Standing Army with Consent of Parliament is Not Inconsistant with a Free Government, (1698)
^[1] Is the Governor
Corrupt? A Pamphlet War in Boston
^[2] Swift, the Book, and the
Irish Financial Revolution "The pamphlet war over the bank that took shape during the parliamentary session apparently did much to undermine confidence in the bank and its paper credit."