Series 2 of Early American Newspapers offers several hundred thousand fully searchable issues from more than 250 significant 18th- and 19th-century newspapers from all 50 present states. Based primarily on the holdings of the American Antiquarian Society (AAS), which houses a vast collection of American newspapers through 1876, Series 2 also includes titles from the acclaimed newspaper collection of the Wisconsin Historical Society and more than 90 other institutions.

Focus on titles from the first half of the 19th century
Series 2 focuses on the period between 1820 and 1860, when the number of American newspapers rose dramatically. In the first half of the 19th century, the number of American newspapers increased from less than 200 to more than 3,000. During this time period, westward expansion and the penny press helped create thousands of local newspapers, and daily editions replaced many weeklies. In addition, the format of newspapers was transformed by an increasing emphasis on society, industry, scientific advances, investigative journalism and stories of human interest.

Superior bibliographic control
Like other Early American Newspaper series, Series 2 offers many significant titles listed in Clarence S. Brigham’s “History and Bibliography of American Newspapers, 1690-1820” and other authoritative bibliographies. Bibliographic control for post-1820 titles in Series 2 comes from Winifred Gregory’s “American Newspapers 1821-1936: A Union List of Files Available in the United States and Canada.” A distinguished academic advisory board of librarians, curators and historians supervised the title selection process, considering the historical significance of each newspaper and the diverse political positions of the period.