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Article: Magazines and Newspapers, African American
- Article from:
- Dictionary of American History
- Author:
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MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS, AFRICAN AMERICAN
MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS, AFRICAN AMERICAN.
The first black newspaper in the United States,
Freedom's Journal,
was established in 1827 by John Russwurm, the first African American to graduate from a university, Bowdoin in Maine, and Samuel Cornish, a militant clergyman in New York City. In the first issue, dated 16 March, the youthful editors boldly stated their objectives: "We wish to plead our own cause. Too long have others spoken for us. Too long has the public been deceived by misrepresentation in things which concern us dearly." Their manifesto captured the spirit and mission of thousands of black newspapers that followed. The editors ...