African American newspapers came into existence before the Civil War as a medium of expression of abolitionist sentiment. In 1827, Samuel Cornish and John B. Russwarm started the first African American periodical, called Freedom\'s Journal. Founded on March 16, 1827 as a four page, four column standard sized weekly, Freedom\'s Journal was the first black owned and operated newspaper in the United States, and was established the same year that slavery was abolished in New York State. Begun by a group of free black men in New York City, the paper served to counter racist commentary published in the mainstream press.
The Freedom\'s Journal initiated the trend of African American papers throughout the United States to fight for liberation and rights, demonstrate racial pride, and inform readers of events affecting the African American community. Unfortunately, because there were few white abolitionists, African Americans were not able financially to support the paper; its......
Join Now or Login to view the rest of this paper.
Approximate Word Count: 994
Approximate Pages: 4 (260 words per double-spaced page) |