African American Newspapers

African American Newspapers is an enormous collection containing a wealth of information about cultural life and history during the 1800s. It’s rich with firsthand reports of the major events and issues of the day, including the Mexican War, presidential and congressional addresses, congressional abstracts, business and commodity markets, the humanities, world travel, and religion.

The collection also provides a great number of early biographies, vital statistics, essays and editorials, poetry and prose, and advertisements, together capturing and representing the African American experience.

Never before has such important original source material—written by African Americans for African Americans—been readily available for research and fresh interpretation by historians, sociologists, educators, and students.

• The Canadian Observer

• The Christian Recorder

• The Colored American

• Douglass’ Monthly

• Frederick Douglass’ Paper

• The Freedmen’s Record

• Freedom’s Journal

• The North Star

• The Liberator

• The National Era

• The National Anti-Slavery Standard

• The Negro Business League Herald

• The Provincial Freeman

• The Weekly Advocate

Click here for detailed coverage.

Also available: African American Newspapers of the South

Most digital newspapers use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to make text searchable. This works well for modern texts, but it often yields poor results for older materials. In contrast, Accessible Archives collections are manually rekeyed to 99% accuracy.

Rekeying makes these items much more accessible. They’re easy to read and meet accessibility standards for the visually impaired. Structuring the articles makes citations easy and enables richer text and data mining. The accuracy of the text makes research accurate, too.

The Canadian Observer

Thousands of African Americans resided in Canada after the abolishment of slavery in the United States. They established families, built homes, and formed communities, contributing to the development of the provinces they lived in as well as to the newly formed Dominion of Canada.

The Canadian Observer, published for the Black community by the prominent activist J.R.B. Whitney from 1914 to 1919, became the voice of the Black community in Toronto and throughout Ontario. As “The Official Organ for the Coloured People in Canada,” it contained a wealth of information about African-Canadian culture and day-to-day life during this turbulent period in Canadian history.  The firsthand reporting, news articles, editorials, and letters to the editor discussed the major events and issues of the day, such as World War I, social activism, racial discrimination and segregation, business and finance, and the African diaspora, particularly West Indian immigration. It devoted significant coverage to:

• national and provincial news of interest to the African-Canadian community;

• political, financial, and economic events, analyses, and personalities;

• international events in addition to World War I;

• African-Canadian literary activities;

• religious activities;

• advertising of consumer goods and services of interest to the African-Canadian community; and

• short biographies, vital statistics, and a wealth of appeals and broadsides.

Throughout its run, the newspaper’s eyewitness accounts, vivid descriptions of daily life, press reports, and editorials sought to improve the lives of African-Canadians in Canadian society. The newspaper promoted racial politics and social activism, contributing to the rise of racial consciousness.

The Christian Recorder

“Published by the African Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States, for the Dissemination of Religion, Morality, Literature and Science” in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Christian Recorder was first published in 1854, edited by the Rev. J.P. Campbell. This early edition was short-lived, and in 1861, under the editorship of Elisha Weaver, the New Series began with volume 1. Under new leadership, the Recorder was introduced in the South by distribution among the Negro regiments in the Union army. Benjamin T. Tanner became editor in 1867, followed in 1885 by the Rev. Benjamin F. Lee, who served until 1892.

The newspaper embodied both secular and religious material and covered the Black regiments and major incidents of the Civil War. The four-page weekly’s departments included Religious Intelligence, Domestic News, General Items, Foreign News, Obituaries, Marriages, Notices, and Advertisements, along with the normal complement of prose and poetry found in newspapers of the day.

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Weekly Advocate/The Colored American

On January 7, 1837, Phillip A. Bell began to publish a weekly newspaper called The Weekly Advocate. One of its major goals was to educate its subscribers, so it presented information in a list format—principal railroads, lengths of rivers, heights of principal mountains, principal colleges in the United States, the principal features of various countries of the nations of the earth, and more.

On March 4, 1837, issue number 9 of the newspaper was published under a new name, The Colored American, with the motto “RIGHTEOUSNESS EXALTETH A NATION” and Samuel E. Cornish as editor.

From the beginning, The Colored American was beset with financial difficulties. It was published sporadically— weeks sometimes passed between issues—but the editors managed to continue its publication through December, 1841. We include a complete run.

“…designed to be the organ of Colored Americans—to be looked on as their own, and devoted to their interests—through which they can make known their views to the public—can communicate with each other and their friends, and their friends with them; and to maintain their well-known sentiments on the subjects of Abolition and Colonization, viz.—emancipation without expatriation—the extirpation of prejudice—the enactment of equal laws, and a full and free investiture of their rights as men and citizens…”
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Frederick Douglass’ Paper

Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was an American social reformer, orator, writer, and statesman.

After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing.

He stood as a living counterexample to slaveholders’ arguments that slaves did not have the intellectual capacity to function as independent American citizens. Many Northerners found it hard to believe that such a great writer and speaker had once been a slave.

By 1851, Douglass had become established as one of the most influential Black leaders of the 19th century. That year, he changed the title of his Rochester-based newspaper, The North Star, to Frederick Douglass’ Paper.

“In respect to the Church and the government, we especially wish to make ourselves fully and clearly understood. With the religion of the one, and the politics of the other, our soul shall have no communion. These we regard as central pillars in the horrid temple of slavery. They are both pro-slavery; and on that score, our controversy with them is based.”

–Frederick Douglass

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The Freedmen’s Record

The Freedmen’s Record (named The Freedmen’s Journal for first issue) provides a unique look at the issues faced by freed slaves and the efforts to provide opportunities for freedmen entering American society. The New England Freedmen’s Aid Society published The Freedmen’s Record in an effort to expose the Northern public to the conditions of freedmen, promote charitable contributions for use in the Society’s freedmen’s programs, and fund relief efforts in the postwar South. Activities included collecting and distributing food and clothing; providing financial support; creating hospitals and temporary camps; locating family members; collecting textbooks and building schools; providing legal representation; and alerting local and regional governments about various racial confrontations, including discrimination and voter intimidation.

Within the pages of The Freedmen’s Record are descriptions of harsh living conditions, famine, extreme lack of medical care, and the breakdown of the family. There also are printed letters about success stories in employment, education, and families’ reuniting. There are notes and reports on “Colorphobia in Washington” and other parts of the South, race relations, and racial incidents.

Douglass’ Monthly

Frederick Douglass started his Douglass' Monthly in 1858 as a magazine format, different from the weekly newspaper style of his earlier publications, The North Star and Frederick Douglass' Paper. It focused primarily on the abolitionist cause, promoting anti-slavery sentiments and advocating for the rights of African Americans, and also went beyond—tackling women's rights, suffrage, and other matters of social justice. The magazine also provided a platform for other Black writers, thinkers, and activists, an approach pivotal in amplifying a wider range of voices often sidelined in mainstream media of the day.

The publication continued as an influential voice up to the onset of the Civil War, when Douglass refocused his efforts on other forms of advocacy, including rallying support for African American troops and meeting with political leaders, including President Lincoln.

Despite its relatively short run compared to his other publications, Douglass' Monthly made a significant mark as a continuation of Douglass's commitment to using the written word as a powerful tool against injustice, laying the groundwork for future generations of Black journalists, writers, and activists.

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Freedom’s Journal

On March 16, 1827, Samuel E. Cornish (1795-1858) and John Brown Russwurm (1799-1851), well-educated clergymen, began to publish Freedom’s Journal in New York City. Cornish was born in Delaware and attended the Philadelphia Presbytery. Russwurm was educated first in Canada and became the first Black man to receive a degree from Bowdoin College. Their partnership dissolved when Russwurm joined the American Colonization Society and its efforts to establish a Black colony in Liberia. The paper ceased operations after the March 28, 1829 issue.

Although Freedom’s Journal lived a relatively short life, it holds importance as the first American newspaper written by Blacks for Blacks. From the beginning, the editors felt “… that a paper devoted to the dissemination of useful knowledge among our brethren, and to their moral and religious improvement, must meet with the cordial approbation of every friend to humanity….”

The Liberator

The Liberator was a weekly newspaper published by William Lloyd Garrison in Boston. Garrison was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, in 1805. At age thirteen, he began his newspaper career with the Newburyport Herald, acquiring skills in setting type and writing articles anonymously. At age twenty-one, he began publishing his own newspaper.

On January 1, 1831, the first issue of The Liberator appeared with the motto, “Our country is the world—our countrymen are mankind.”

Garrison, a journalistic crusader who advocated for the immediate emancipation of all slaves, gained a national reputation as one of the most radical American abolitionists. The Liberator denounced the Compromise of 1850, condemned the Kansas-Nebraska Act, damned the Dred Scott decision, and hailed John Brown’s raid as “God’s method of dealing retribution upon the head of the tyrant.”

Slaveholders in the South demanded the end of the incendiary paper, and the state of Georgia offered a $5,000 reward for Garrison’s capture. The Liberator was a mighty force from the beginning and became the most influential newspaper in the antebellum antislavery crusade.

After the end of the Civil War, Garrison published his last issue of The Liberator, announcing, “My vocation as an abolitionist is ended.” In thirty-five years, Garrison had not failed to publish a single issue—1,820 in all. He spent the final fourteen years of his life campaigning for woman suffrage, pacifism, and temperance. He died in New York City on May 24, 1879.

“I will be as harsh as truth, and as un-compromising as justice….Tell a man whose house is on fire, to give a moderate alarm; tell him to moderately rescue his wife from the hands of the ravisher; tell the mother to gradually extricate her babe from the fire into which it has fallen; – but urge me not to use moderation in a cause like the present. I am in earnest- I will not equivocate- I will not excuse- I will not retreat a single inch- AND I WILL BE HEARD.”
– William Lloyd Garrison, in the first issue

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The National Era

The National Era, edited by Dr. Gamaliel Bailey Jr., was issued weekly in the District of Columbia for more than thirteen years. It was printed “on a mammoth sheet, of the finest quality, in handsome type, at the rate of two dollars a year” and contained seven columns on each of four pages. With John Greenleaf Whittier as an associate editor, much of Whittier’s poetry, prose and editorials were included, and there was an ongoing heavy emphasis on literary reviews and commentaries. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was serialized in the paper.

The 1847 Prospectus for The National Era stated, “While due attention will be paid to Current Events, Congressional Proceedings, General Politics and Literature, the great aim of the paper will be a complete discussion of the Question of Slavery, and an exhibition of the Duties of the Citizen in relation to it; especially will it explain and advocate the leading Principles and Measures of the Liberty Party, seeking to do this, not in the spirit of the Party, but in the love of Truth—not for the triumph of Party, but for the establishment of Truth….”

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National Anti-Slavery Standard

National Anti-Slavery Standard was the official weekly newspaper of the American Anti-Slavery Society, an abolitionist society founded in 1833 by William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur Tappan to spread their movement across the nation with printed materials. Frederick Douglass was a key leader of the society and often addressed meetings at its New York City headquarters.

The newspaper was established in 1840 by the husband-and-wife team of Lydia and David Child, who were affirmed abolitionists as well as successful writers (Lydia was the author of the poem “Over the River and Through the Wood”). Using the motto “Without Concealment—Without Compromise,” the Standard sought to extend the rights of slaves across the country. It supported suffrage not only for African American males, but also for women. With perhaps the exception of William Lloyd Garrison’s The Liberator, also published by the Society, the Standard was the most influential voice for abolition leading up to the Civil War.

A weekly newspaper published concurrently in New York City and Philadelphia (1854–1865), and begun during a time when the American Anti-Slavery Society was torn over emancipation tactics, the Standard featured writings from influential abolitionists—essays, debates, speeches, events, reports, and anything else deemed newsworthy in relation to the question of slavery. It focused on politics and on religion; although it asserted that God was the only being that could end slavery, it also recognized the value of political action.

While the Standard was small by today’s modern measures—only four six-column pages—for thirty years its personal accounts of slavery helped express the feelings and moods surrounding the controversy.

National Anti-Slavery Standard continued to contribute to the fight against slavery until ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment, effectively granting African Americans the right to vote. The final issue was dated April 16, 1870, although the paper continued to publish for another two years under a variety of short-lived names.

The Negro Business League Herald

Booker T. Washington founded the National Negro Business League (NNBL) in 1901 to promote the “commercial, agricultural, educational, and industrial advancement” of African Americans. It was an important social and economic organization among African Americans in the early years of the twentieth century. Its credo of Black self-assurance and interracial cooperation drew on a wide segment of the African American community. While core members were the Black economic elite—men and women in business and other professionals—a significant segment of the upwardly aspiring Black middle class and a large number of farmers also were included.

The local Negro Business League in Washington DC, led by Booker T. Washington‘s son-in-law, architect William Sidney Pittman, started publication of The Negro Business League Herald in 1909. The short-lived periodical provides insights into the activities and accomplishments of both the local NNBL office in Washington and the organization in general.

The North Star

Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was born into slavery in Tuckahoe, Maryland, escaped in 1838, and safely reached New Bedford, Mass. He worked for three years as a daily laborer on the wharves, and in 1841 he became a lecturer on slavery.

In 1845, afraid of again being placed in bondage, he fled to England, where friends furnished him with enough money to purchase his freedom and to establish himself in the publishing business.

In 1847, with Douglass and M.R. Delaney as editors, The North Star was established:

”It has long been our anxious wish to see, in this slave-holding, slave-trading, and negro-hating land, a printing-press and paper, permanently established, under the complete control and direction of the immediate victims of slavery and oppression…”

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Provincial Freeman

Provincial Freeman was edited and published weekly by Canadian Blacks in Canada West (now Ontario Province), where many fugitive slaves from the United States had settled. Issue number 1 (March 24, 1854), intended as a specimen, was published in Windsor, edited by Samuel Ringgold Ward. The paper’s purpose was to transform black refugees into model citizens.

Mary Ann Carey helped found the Provincial Freeman and became the first Black North American female editor and publisher. Born Mary Shadd in 1823 into a prominent Black family in Wilmington, Delaware, she attended a Quaker school from age ten to fifteen, where she became dedicated to promoting self-reliance and independence among Black Canadians. In 1856, she married Thomas F. Carey of Toronto and lived in Chatham, Canada, until Thomas’s death in 1860. Mary ultimately moved to Washington DC, where she opened a school for Black children. In 1870, she became the first Black woman lawyer in the US.

Provincial Freeman was “Devoted to Anti-Slavery, Temperance, and General Literature” and was affiliated with no particular political party. Its prospectus stated, “It will open its columns to the views of men of different political opinions, reserving the right, as an independent Journal, of full expression on all questions or projects affecting the people in a political way; and reserving, also, the right to express emphatic condemnation of all projects, having for their object in a great or remote degree, the subversion of the principles of the British Constitution, or of British rule in the Provinces.” In July, 1856, the office was seized for debt, and publication was suspended until November, when issue number 16 was published. The volume was closed with issue number 49, August 22, 1857.

African American Newspapers is currently on the Accessible Archives platform and will move to the History Commons platform early in 2024.

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