Early American Newspapers: Series 6, 1741-1922

Early American Newspapers, Series 6, includes approximately 160 significant 18th-, 19th- and 20th-century newspapers from every region of the United States. Drawing from the acclaimed newspaper collections of the American Antiquarian Society, Kansas Historical Society, the Library of Congress, Wisconsin Historical Society and other institutions, Series 6 further expands the political, geographical and chronological depth of Early American Newspapers, Series 1 to 5. Notable titles include:

American Mercury (Hartford, Connecticut)

• With a reputation for outspokenness, the Mercury was for many years Connecticut’s leading reform paper as well as a key proponent of ensuring legal equality for religious sects. 
• Includes 236 issues published between 1830 and 1833. 

Argus of Western America (Frankfort, Kentucky) 

• Considered one of the best early Kentucky papers, the Argus was edited by Amos Kendall, a renowned journalist and strong supporter of Andrew Jackson. 
• Includes 275 issues published between 1819 and 1834. 

Arkansas Gazette (Little Rock) 

• One of the first newspapers west of the Mississippi, the Gazette was founded 16 years before Arkansas achieved statehood. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, it remained one of the most influential newspapers in the region. 
• Includes 10,117 issues published between 1867 and 1908.

Charleston Courier (South Carolina) 

• This paper is the earliest predecessor to the Charleston Post and Courier; the oldest daily in the South and one of the oldest newspapers still in publication in the United States. 
• Includes 10,446 issues published between 1822 and 1872. 

Colored American (New York City) 

• The most important African-American newspaper of its time, the Colored American circulated in free black communities up and down the Atlantic coast and provided detailed coverage of the Amistad revolt. 
• Includes 57 issues published between 1837 and 1838.

Colored Citizen (Topeka, Kansas)

• The Colored Citizen’s lively editorials encouraged former slaves and sharecroppers to emigrate to the Midwest for economic and social advancement. 
• Includes 91 issues published between 1897 and 1900.

Daily National Intelligencer (Washington, D.C.) 

• As the official publication for Congressional reports, the Intelligencer’s government news was shipped to editors across the country. 
• Includes 16,860 issues published between 1813 and 1869. 

Enquirer (Richmond, Virginia)

• This influential southern newspaper was edited and published for 41 years by leading American journalist Thomas Ritiche. Of the Enquirer, Thomas Jefferson wrote:" I read but a single newspaper, Ritchie's Enquirer, the best that is published or ever has been published in America." Later issues of the Enquirer offer perspectives on the Confederacy’s reaction to Reconstruction. 
• Includes 10 issues published between 1866 and 1876. 

Kalamazoo Gazette (Michigan) 

• The Gazette offers eyewitness reporting on Kalamazoo’s landmark effort to provide free secondary education to citizens of every economic class. 
• Includes 12,233 issues published between 1837 and 1922.

Kansas City Times (Missouri)         

• Editor John Newman Edwards forged an alliance with Jesse James, publishing James’ letters in the Times and effectively using his media influence to turn the outlaw into a symbol of Confederate defiance. 
• Includes 3,987 issues published between 1884 and 1896.

Massachusetts Spy (Worcester)

• Co-founded by Isaiah Thomas, one of the most successful and colorful journalists of his time and founder of the American Antiquarian Society, the Spy remained powerful well into the 19th century, covering the onset of the Industrial Revolution.
• Includes 2,929 issues published between 1821 and 1876. 

The Standard (Clarksville, Texas)

• This fiercely independent paper—which changed its name to the Clarksville Standard when editor Charles DeMorse became exasperated with the North—provides opinionated editorials and in-depth coverage of Texas history. 
• Includes 164 issues published between 1842 and 1849. 

Oregon State Journal (Eugene)

• The State Journal provides coverage of Oregon’s pioneer period and early statehood, including the lives of settlers who arrived via the Oregon Trail and the decline of the fur trade. 
• Includes 703 issues published between 1864 and 1880.

Pennsylvania Journal (Philadelphia)

• This weekly was considered one of the best newspapers of the 18th century, with a circulation that encompassed not only the Colonies but also as far south as the West Indies. Printer and founder William Bradford was a leader in the Sons of Liberty, a secret organization of American patriots. 
• Includes 2,366 issues published between 1742 and 1793.

Plaindealer (Detroit, Michigan) 

• Detroit’s first successful black newspaper, the Plaindealer was founded in 1883 and served as an advocate for black interests across the Midwest. Especially interested in developing racial pride, it was among the earliest newspapers to use the term “Afro-American” rather than the then-current term “Negro.” 
• Includes 193 issues published between 1889 and 1893.

Vermont Gazette (Bennington)

• Publisher Anthony Haswell, who brought the first printing press to Vermont, was jailed for publishing articles in the Gazette that criticized the United States’ newly established government. 
• Includes 203 issues published between 1872 and 1876.