African American Newspapers

Locating Newspapers by Ethnicity in The Library of Congress

Below is an example of how to find African-American newspapers in the Library of Congress. Use this same method to locate your ethnicity.

Go to go to Library of Congress Chronicling America

Locate US Newspaper Directory, 1690-Present, in upper right corner
Select Ethnicity Press located in the lower left corner under More search options: Select your Ethnicity you would like you research.
Click Search

4. Select the state you’re researching

5. Enter state and end dates and enter your City, Parish, County, Township

6 Select you View: Gallery or List

Looking for family after slavery

Newspapers served as a primary means of communication in many communities. They provided a platform for individuals to share information about themselves, their whereabouts, and their search for family members who had been separated due to slavery.

Many newspapers carried advertisements and notices placed by individuals searching for their lost family members. These ads often contained detailed descriptions of the individuals being sought, including names, physical features, last known locations, and any distinguishing marks. These notices acted as a way to spread information about missing family members to a wide audience.

Newspapers occasionally published personal stories and testimonies of formerly enslaved individuals who were searching for their families. These stories helped raise awareness about the emotional toll of separation and the desire for reunification.

Newspapers fostered connections within communities, and people often turned to them as a source of support. Readers who saw ads or stories related to missing family members might offer leads, advice, or assistance in locating loved ones.

Runaway Slave Advertisements

Runaway slave advertisements, which were commonly published in newspapers during the era of slavery, particularly in the United States, provide a range of information that is not only historical but also deeply personal. These advertisements typically included the following types of information:

Physical Description: Details about the appearance of the enslaved person, such as age, height, complexion, hair texture, and any notable physical characteristics like scars or marks.
Clothing: A description of the clothes the individual was last seen wearing, which can provide insights into their living conditions and personal choices.
Name and Speech: The name the enslaved person was known by, and sometimes details about their manner of speaking or any distinctive accents.

Skills and Occupation: Information about the skills, trades, or specific jobs that the individual was trained in or typically performed.
Background and Personal Traits: Some ads included information about where the enslaved person was originally from, their family connections, and occasionally, personality traits or habits.
Circumstances of Escape: Details about how, when, and possibly why the individual ran away, which might include information on whether they were believed to be alone or in a group.
Possible Destinations: Speculations about where the runaway might be headed, often based on their known connections or previous attempts to escape.
Rewards and Conditions for Capture: The amount of money offered for their capture and return, and sometimes specific instructions or conditions for how this should be done.

These advertisements are a somber reminder of the harsh realities of slavery, but they also provide valuable historical insights. They can be used to study the social, economic, and personal lives of enslaved individuals, as well as the broader context of slavery in a particular region or era. Additionally, they are sometimes used by descendants of enslaved individuals in genealogical research.

Abolitionist (African American) Newspapers

Abolitionist African American newspapers were a significant aspect of the anti-slavery movement in the United States, especially during the 19th century. These newspapers played a crucial role in advocating for the abolition of slavery, promoting civil rights, and informing the public about issues affecting African Americans. Key characteristics and contributions of these newspapers include:

Advocacy for Abolition: These newspapers were at the forefront of the fight against slavery. They published articles, editorials, and speeches that argued for the end of slavery and the inhumanity of the institution.
African American Leadership and Voice: Often founded and operated by African Americans, these newspapers provided a platform for Black voices and leadership. They allowed African American writers, thinkers, and activists to reach a wider audience and articulate their perspectives on slavery, racism, and civil rights.

Information and Education: These publications played a vital role in educating both Black and White readers about the realities of slavery, the experiences of enslaved and free African Americans, and the arguments for abolition. They often included firsthand accounts, reports of anti-slavery meetings, and updates on legislative efforts related to slavery and civil rights.
Support for the Underground Railroad: Some abolitionist newspapers were involved in supporting the Underground Railroad, a network that helped enslaved people escape to freedom. They provided coded messages, information on safe routes, and moral support to those escaping slavery.
Promotion of Racial Equality and Civil Rights: Beyond advocating for the end of slavery, these newspapers also championed racial equality and civil rights, addressing issues like segregation, voting rights, and racial discrimination in employment and education.
Influential Publications: Some of the most influential African American abolitionist newspapers included titles like “The North Star,” founded by Frederick Douglass, “Freedom’s Journal,” the first African American owned and operated newspaper in the United States, and “The Colored American.”
Legacy and Historical Significance: The legacy of these newspapers extends far beyond their publication years. They provide historians and scholars with valuable primary source material for understanding the abolitionist movement, African American history, and the broader struggle for civil rights in the United States.
African American abolitionist newspapers were not just publications; they were powerful tools for social change, providing a voice for the voiceless, advocating for freedom and equality, and contributing significantly to the shaping of American society and history.

Anti-Slavery (Collection of Distinction)

In the late 1890s, the family of William Lloyd Garrison, along with others closely involved in the anti-slavery movement, presented Boston Public Library with a major gathering of correspondence, documents, and other original material relating to the abolitionist cause from 1832 until after the American Civil War.

The Anti-Slavery Collection contains about 40,000 pieces of correspondence, broadsides, newspapers, pamphlets, books, and realia spanning a 35-year period. The major holdings consist of the papers of William Lloyd Garrison, Maria Weston Chapman and Deborah Weston, Lydia Maria Child, Amos Augustus Phelps, and Samuel May Jr.; records of the American, Massachusetts, New England, and Female Anti-Slavery Societies; and the libraries of William Lloyd Garrison, Theodore Parker, and Wendell Phillips.

Newspapers.com

Newspapers.com is a website that provides access to a vast archive of historical newspapers from various regions and time periods. It is primarily used for genealogical and historical research. The site offers scanned images of actual newspapers, allowing users to view and read articles, advertisements, and other content as they originally appeared in print. Users can search for specific topics, names, events, or dates, making it a valuable resource for historians, genealogists, researchers, and anyone interested in historical events as reported at the time.

The service is often subscription-based, offering different levels of access depending on the subscription plan. Users can typically browse newspapers by location, date, or publication, and the site may also offer tools for clipping and saving specific articles or pages of interest. The database includes newspapers from various countries, although it primarily focuses on publications from the United States.

Newspapers.com is part of the Ancestry family of companies, which also includes Ancestry.com, known for its genealogical resources and tools.

Did you know you can select different categories to search on Newspapers.com? See the example below.

Go to newspapers.com (Subscription Required)

Enter State in – Keyword
Select Categories.
- For this example I selected Enslavement
- This select produced newspapers with the Enslavements Details for Auction and Fugitives

Newspapers