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Example research essay topic: Anti Slavery Movement First African American - 2,022 words

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THE FREEDOMS JOURNAL NEWSPAPER TABLE OF CONTENT S. NO CONTENTS PG. NO 1. ABSTRACT 2 2. INTRODUCTION 3 3 BIRTH OF FREEDOMS JOURNAL 4 4. FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM JOURNAL 6 5 HOW WAS IT FINANCED? 7 6 READERSHIP 9 7 CONTENT OF THE PERIODICALS 10 8 TRANSFORMATION IN THE LEADERSHIP 12 9 TERMINATION OF THE BLACK PRESS 14 10 THE BLACK PRESS FROM 1827 - TILL DATE 15 11 CONCLUSION 16 12 REFERECNCES 18 13 BIBLIOGRAPHY 18 1.

ABSTRACT Originated on March 16, 1827 Freedom's Journal was the first African-American owned and operated journal in New York. The weekly planner was edited by Samuel Cornish and Jhon. B. Russwurm. However, after 6 months of its commencement, Cornish resigned his position as an editor leaving Russwurm as a sole leader of the paper. The destiny of the journal changed under the management of Russwurm.

The paper faced financial turbulence. Russwurm also received criticism form the readers, pushing him into the decision of renouncing the publication of Freedom's Journal. Though it survived after for two years, it stood as a paradigm for future African-American press. However, the journals history put us on many questions.

What was the motivation for the invention of Freedom's Journal? Who were its founders and what was their background? How did they raise the funds? On whom it was focused and what about its circulation and distribution? What was it objective and what did the paper contain?

Why did Cornish resign his position within 6 months? What happened to Freedom's Journal when it was under the management of Russwurm? What made Russwurm to relinquish the press? Where is the black press now? In addition, historians have often depended on partial and unproven guesses about the journal. This study has accounted an in depth historical description of the newspaper that considers the Freedom's Journal founding, financing, readership and content.

It focuses on significant events in the journals history, such as Samuel Cornish departure, the changes that happened in the newspaper and the termination of the paper. This study intends to present a complete history of the Freedom's Journal with the help of available secondary sources. 2. INTRODUCTION WE WISH TO PLEAD OUR OWN CAUSE. TOO LONG OTHERS SPOKEN FOR US These are words from Freedoms Journal front page, an Afro-American press started in March 16, 1827, by Samuel Cornish and Jhon. B. Russwurm in New York.

Freedom's Journal was the first black press, which served as a benchmark in Afro-American history. This was the outcome of the gathering held in New York City by the black leaders, who emphasized the need for a publication and to assemble together blacks against slavery. The journal served to argue and answer the bigoted commentary printed in the conventional press. The periodical was initially edited by the two free- born Afro-American Cornish, pastor of the First Colored Presbyterian Church in New York City and Russwurm, a graduate of Bowdoin College. Editors Cornish and Russwurm insisted on blacks education and stressed the significance of civil rights. Freedom's Journal served the black community by giving them voice, community, self-awareness and an eminent role in the changing world.

Initially, when the editorship was under Cornish and Russwurm, Freedom's Journal published articles in support of colonization. At this period the Periodicals was more popular among the African-American society. However, later when the leadership changed the concept towards colonization reversed and the periodicals started loosing its fame and credibility. Freedom's Journal although faced countless problem, it struggled to survive for two full years.

In spite of lot of criticisms, Russwurm had made a history-provoking event in African-Americans press. 3. BIRTH OF FREEDOMS JOURNAL: In late 19 th century African American Journalist I. Garlands. Penn in his Afro-American Press and its Editor has accounted the birth of Freedom Journal.

In that Penn has stated that, In 1827 and 1828 a local news paper was published in New York City by an Afro- American hating Jew, which made an evil assault on African-Americans. The paper motivated slavery and deprecated the idea of freedom for the slave. Provoked by this, a group of free blacks including Russwurm, Cornish, Boston, convened a meeting in M. Bostons house, which resulted in the idea of commencing Freedoms Journal. The African- American-hating Jew Noah, a playwright, essayist, politician, and editor of several New York journals, were indeed an enemy of African-Americans, and often printed discriminatory misinformation in his newspapers. This vile attack was the main impetus for the creation of Freedom Journal.

Certain historians who remember the era denies Penns accounting about the formation of the Freedoms Journal. Despite of this issue, most of the historian of African-American has accepted Penns account. However Freedoms Journal could not have taken place due to the vile of one editor, since editors of various newspapers often caricatured and lampooned African-Americans. Also the white members of American Colonization Society orated that Afro-Americans should be encouraged to return back to Africa. Several historians proposed that Freedoms Journal developed due to the popularity of Colonization among whites. However, before the creation of Freedoms Journal, many African-American leaders has put a strong groundwork in creating community institutions, developed national consciousness through their power of oratory, and emphasized the civil right.

In addition, because free Afro-Americans had previously no public channel to voice their rights, they felt the real necessity to create one. Other than this history, there were certain other factors, which were favorable for the creation of the journal. There were, common objectives among Afro-Americans, Industrialization making paper much less expensive thus creating a viable economic condition, Afro-Americans considered reading and writing were keys to empowerment and the editors felt newspaper may act as a medium to connect the geographically separated Afro-American. Thus, the birth of Freedoms Journal has become an inspiring occurrence in the history of Afro-American press. 4. THE FOUNDERS OF FREEDOM'S JOURNAL JOHN BROWN RUSSWURM (1759 - 1851) John Russwurm was born in 1799 in Port Antonio, Jamaica.

Russwurm mother was a slave and his father was a white merchant. Russwurm stayed in Jamaica until he was eight. The family shifted to Quebec, and Russwurm was sent to a formal school in Quebec. Later after his family reallocation, Russwurm joined Hebron Academy.

Russwurm finished his graduation in Bowdoin College. He was the second African-American who finished his graduation in United States. Russwurm moved to New York after his graduation. Russwurm showed interest in abolition movement and decided to create an abolitionist journal. Out of the joint interest of Russwurm and Cornish Freedom's Journal was created. Russwurm wrote most of the articles to the paper.

In late 1829, Russwurm gave up the idea of colonization and decided to end Freedom's Journal. Later he left to Liberia, Africa to work for the post of Pan-Africans. Russwurm in a while become the governor of the Maryland section of Liberia. He died in 1851 as a governor. SAMUEL CORNISH (1795 - 1859) He was born in 1795 in Sussex country, Delaware. His parents were free Africans.

Cornish were trained for ministry in Philadelphia at the African Presbyterian Church. In 1822, he became the pastor of New York Citys first African-American Presbyterian Church. After departing from Freedom's Journal, Cornish worked as an agent to New York African free schools. In 1829, Cornish restarted Freedom's Journal and named it as Right for all. However, this survived for only a year. Later in 1833, Cornish in association with Arthur and Lewis Tappan, William York, and Theodore Weld formed Anti-slavery movement.

In 1837 - 1839, he worked as an editor for Colored American. In 1840, Cornish and Tappan came out of Anti-slavery movement in opposition to its support for womens right and started an opposition association, the American, and Foreign Anti-slavery society. His revolutionary work helped to bring on an array of African-American journals in the year 1830 - 1860. The names of these struggling newspapers, the majority of which survived for only few years for lack of funds, which tells about their dedication to the antislavery movement.

Some of the black journals were The Stugller, National Reformer, The Palladium of Liberty, The Herald of Liberty, National Watchman, Weekly Advocate, and The North Star (the star runaway slaves followed in their break out to freedom. ) which was created by the great African-American abolitionist leader, Frederick Douglass. In 1858, Cornish died in Brooklyn. 5. HOW WAS IT FINANCED? The idea of starting a periodical would definitely need financial support beyond the rest. Supporters of the journal apart from concentrating on promotion, distribution and collection of subscription fees, should have concentrated in raising and contributing money. There is no proper evidence, which provides information on financiers to the project.

Conversely, evidence from the journal has stated that both Afro-American and few whites funded the operation. From the history of Penn, it is clear that renowned and well-connected African-American names were included in the list featured at the end of each issue in Freedoms Journal. There were nearly 14 to 44 supporters, who helped to raise money for the paper and to collect the subscription fees. Among them was the well known David Walker, an influential member of Boston.

He wrote the nerve-provoking article Walkers Appeal which increased the promotion of article in south and was banned later. Few supporters of the Freedoms Journal either helped to raise money to finance the paper or donated their own. David Walker and Stephen Smith were among them. Leaders who were not in position of contributing money provided information about the American-Africans who possessed properties in land and houses.

White individuals who provided funds to Freedoms Journal have been incorporated as philanthropist and antislavery-reformist. Income was also raised through advertisements and subscription. A variety of merchants and business positioned in different cities marketed in Freedoms Journal, including garments shops, grocers, tailors, school, boarding, pharmacies, houses and doctors. Though Freedoms Journal promoted various means of financing, it encountered financial constrains.

Editors fixed annual payment as 3 dollars, and subscription was not to be accepted for less than one year. Official term acknowledged that this sum was payable half-yearly in advance with a decrease of two dollars and five cents for those paying for full year at the time of subscription. Yet, the editors were not strict about the terms and were soft in providing the paper in advance before collecting the subscription fees. This was not a positive sign for financial benefits. Many white readers cancelled their subscription as a sign of opposition to the paper initial position regarding colonization. Further faculty and student from Princeton Seminary, a school strongly supporting ACS cancelled the subscription.

This created some financial loss to the journal. Having financially suffered, Freedoms Journal surprisingly survived for two full years! 6. READERSHIP: The periodicals had more than 800 subscribers including both African-Americans and whites. This figure is based on the subscription number for Rights of All the newspaper edited by Samuel Cornish in 1829 after demise of Freedom Journal. Some argued that there should have been more than 800 subscribers to Freedom Journal as some of their patron canceled their subscription, as they were dissatisfied with the change in concept of the management. In Early Black press of America, 1827 1860, Frankie Hutton stated that actual readership to the periodicals was higher than circulation numbers as publication were often shared.

In addition organization such as Colored Reading Society of Philadelphia, were given copies of Freedoms Journal with non-subscriber individual access to the paper. Initially it was considered that Freedom Journal primarily focused on whites, because there were very less literate in Black community. Nevertheless, this statement proved to be false as there were many Africans with reading and writing skills in the northern and southern cities. Moreover, those Africans who were illiterate received information from Freedoms Journal through the literate Africans who read text to them.

Freedom Journal envisioned the African-American community thought the country as its the primary audience. Yet editors welcomed the white subscribers and readers as well. Freedoms Journal...


Free research essays on topics related to: african americans, reading and writing, afro americans, anti slavery movement, first african american

Research essay sample on Anti Slavery Movement First African American

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