Resources for Studying the Evolution of Racial Justice in America

Two new collections of Early American Newspapers provide rich material for the study of the factors contributing to the Civil War and its aftermath.

Quick Facts
More than 100 newspapers printed in New England during a crucial era for racial and social justice
Vivid accounts of the people, organizations, and political structures of mid-19th century New England
A fully searchable online resource with applications for numerous academic disciplines

Overview
New England newspapers played a pivotal role in shaping the national discourse around slavery and civil rights in the decades leading up to and following the American Civil War. Abolitionists, political parties, and religious leaders all used newspapers to sway readers to their causes, making such papers essential material for researchers studying racial and social justice movements. Early American Newspapers, Series 18, 1825-1879: Racial Awakening in the Northeast brings these newspapers together in a fully searchable online resource, offering research and teaching opportunities across a variety of academic
disciplines.

Primary sources from the birthplace of American abolition
The history of abolition in the United States reached a critical juncture in New England in the 1820s, as the Protestant revival known as the Second Great Awakening reverberated through the region. Because New England churches wielded substantial power, the idea that slavery was morally reprehensible soon spread from places of worship and religious groups to politics and social life. Since the Northeastern states had already outlawed slavery, abolitionists set their sights on ending slavery nationwide.

As debates over slavery and social justice issues unfolded and gained momentum, New England’s newspapers both covered and influenced these movements. Early American Newspapers, Series 18, 1825-1879: Racial Awakening in the Northeast is a curated collection of publications essential for the research and understanding of abolitionism, the American Civil War, Reconstruction, and other important issues and events in the evolution of racial justice. This distinctive archive includes firsthand accounts from escaped enslaved people, as well as editorials and reportage on topics such as the Underground Railroad, slavery in Western states, the economics of slave labor, the American Civil War, emancipation, the widespread injustices of the Reconstruction era and much more.

A curated collection of notable newspapers
Like other Early American Newspapers series, Series 18 offers many significant titles listed in the authoritative bibliographies of early American newspapers by Clarence S. Brigham and Winifred Gregory. A distinguished academic advisory board guided the selection process. Sourced solely from the American Antiquarian Society, notable publications include the Herald of Freedom (Concord, NH), Green Mountain Freeman (Montpelier, VT), Cradle of Liberty (Boston, MA), The North and South (New Britain, CT), Maine State Press (Portland, ME), Boston Evening Transcript (Boston, MA), Providence Daily Post (Providence, RI) and dozens of others.

Quick Facts
Newspapers printed in the southern United States during the Abolitionist, Civil War, and Reconstruction eras
First-hand accounts of the struggles around secession and the effort to knit the nation together again
A fully searchable digitized resource with application for numerous academic disciplines

Overview
In the century following America’s founding, newspapers in the southern U.S. played a vital role in capturing and shaping national and regional debates about race, slavery, and states’ rights. Political and religious leaders, pro-slavery advocates, and secessionists all used newspapers to influence and persuade popular opinion around these issues. The Politics of Race in the South assembles these perspectives into a fully searchable digital collection, offering exceptional research and teaching opportunities in examining history, racial, and social justice movements across an array of academic disciplines.

Primary sources from Confederate states, border states, and Washington, DC
In the U.S. southern slave-holding states, the issue of race reached a critical juncture when the anti-slavery movement garnered nationwide attention in the early 19th century. The pro-slavery political stance that prevailed in the South was the result of a blend of political, economic, social, and religious forces that continue to be researched and debated today. This collection of newspapers—from the southern U.S., border states, Washington DC, and other select titles—gives scholars, students, and faculty an unparalleled resource from which to discern, interpret, and judge the complex evolution of these influential factors.

Slavery and secession were not universally supported in the South, a fact revealed within many of the sources in this compelling collection. Related debates were often played out within the pages of Southern newspapers that not only recorded the events of the time, but also played a major role in shaping public opinion. The Politics of Race in the South includes some of the most influential and widely read papers below the Mason-Dixon Line, as well as a variety of local newspapers from across the region.

Series 19 is specifically designed to work in concert with Early American Newspapers, Series 18, 1825-1878: Racial Awakening in the Northeast. This complementary collection covers the Abolitionist, Civil War, and Reconstruction eras with a focus on the Northern states of New England— a region that played a crucial role in the anti-slavery movement that ignited the buildup to the American Civil War.

A curated collection of distinctive and influential newspapers
Like others in the Early American Newspapers series, Series 19 offers significant titles listed in the authoritative bibliographies of Clarence S. Brigham and Winifred Gregory. A distinguished academic advisory board guided the selection process. Sourced solely from the American Antiquarian Society, notable publications include the Richmond Daily Dispatch (Richmond, VA), Commonwealth (Frankfort, KY), Wilmington Journal (Wilmington, NC), Republican Banner (Nashville, TN), Mobile Register and Journal (Mobile, AL), Florida Sentinel (Tallahassee, FL), States and Union (Washington, DC), and hundreds more.