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African Americans in Business and Entrepreneurship: A Resource Guide

Press & Publishing

Published from 1827-1829, Freedom's Journal, the first African American owned and operated newspaper, covered regional, national, and international news and addressed the issues of slavery and colonization, which involved the repatriation of free African Americans to Africa. In the first issue of Freedom's Journal, the newspaper editors, John Brown Russwurm and Samuel Cornish, wrote, "We wish to plead our case. Too long have others spoken for us." Although the publication of Freedom's Journal spanned only two years, the newspaper helped lead the way for other black-owned newspapers in the 19th and 20th century, including some of the most famous: Frederick Douglass' The North Star and Robert S. Abbott's The Chicago Defender. The North Star covered many issues, including the Mexican-American War, which lasted from 1846-1848, as well as slavery and the abolitionist movement. Meanwhile, in 1905, Abbott began The Chicago Defender with 25 cents, the equivalent of approximately $7.30 in 2020 adjusted for inflation. However, the newspaper became more prevalent and popular, allowing Abbott to become one of Chicago's first black millionaires.

There are, of course, many other highly influential and relevant African American newspapers. To research this topic, begin by searching through the Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers database or the Library of Congress Online Catalog. To locate photographs and images, search through the Prints and Photographs Online Catalog with the keywords, African American press; or African American newspaper. You may want to visit the Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room at the Library of Congress, as it maintains one of the most extensive newspaper collections in the world.

The resources identified here include those related to the larger African American press, including magazines, journals, and the media.

Press Resources

The following collection titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content, including finding aids for the collections, are included when available.

The following collection titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content, including finding aids for the collections, are included when available.

The following select academic, peer-reviewed journals link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.

The following select African American magazines link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available. Request these materials in the Newspaper and Periodical Reading Room (Madison LM133).

The following select early African American newspapers link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available. Request these materials in the Newspaper and Periodical Reading Room (Madison LM133).

Newspapers may have articles about less well known as well as very famous people and events. A community newspaper may profile someone who is considered a person of note in his or her community. Finding articles can be very difficult, because many newspapers are often not indexed, selectively indexed, or inadequately indexed. The Directory of US Newspapers in American Libraries (previously known as the United States Newspaper Directory and included in the Chronicling America: Historic American Newspaper online collection is derived from the Library catalog records primarily created by state institutions during the United States Newspaper Program, 1982-2011.

The subscription resources marked with a padlock are available to researchers on-site at the Library of Congress. If you are unable to visit the Library, you may be able to access these resources through your local public or academic library.

Blogs, research guides, and web pages relevant to the study of the African American Press prepared by Library of Congress reference librarians, are listed below.