Early American Newspapers: Series 12, 1821-1900

(Updated August 2016)

The Old Soldier (Springfield, Illinois; 1840)

• Young Abraham Lincoln was a member of the Springfield Whig Committee that published this early campaign paper. In 1840 Lincoln wrote, “The subscription is increasing at a rate of nearly 100 names daily…I do not think it will stop short of 12,000.” Early American Newspapers, Series 12, contains more than 240 newspapers from Massachusetts.  

Mercantile Gazette and Prices Current (San Francisco, California; 1857-1867)

• One of the most successful mercantile papers in San Francisco from the 1850s to the 1870s, the Mercantile Gazette and Prices Current is one of the more than 50 newspapers from California in Early American Newspapers, Series 12. 

The Log Cabin (New York, New York; 1840-1841)

• Henry Raymond—the co-founder of The New York Times—described The Log Cabin as “the most successful campaign newspaper ever published.” Early American Newspapers, Series 12, contains more than 300 newspapers from New York state.  

The Philadelphian (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 1827-1848)

• One of the most influential early religious newspapers in Pennsylvania, The Philadelphian is one of the more than 20 religious papers from this state. Early American Newspapers, Series 12, contains more than 150 newspapers from Pennsylvania.  

The Washington Daily Globe (Washington, DC; 1859-1873)

• The Globe was one of the most influential dailies in Washington, and functioned as one of the city’s official gazettes from the 1840s to the 1870s. Early American Newspapers, Series 12, contains more than 25 newspapers from the District of Columbia.  

Chicago Standard (Chicago, Illinois; 1867-1876)

• The Standard was one of the most influential religious newspapers in Chicago during the 1860s and 1870s. Early American Newspapers, Series 12, contains more than 70 newspapers of all types from Illinois. 

Louisville Journal, Extra (Louisville, Kentucky; 1844-1852)

• The Journal was an “extra” that focused on the political campaigns of 1852. Early American Newspapers, Series 12, contains more than 20 Kentucky newspapers, including both general interest papers and those created especially for political campaigns.  

United States Telegraph, Extra (Washington, DC; 1832-1836) and the Delaware Democrat and Easton Gazette(Easton, PA; 1827-1828)

• These two papers are credited by historians as establishing the power of the campaign newspaper to influence elections: “Not until the appearance of such papers as the Delaware Democrat…and the United States Telegraph-Extra…did the campaign newspaper…establish itself as a major weapon in the campaign arsenals of the political parties.” (William Miles, editor of The People’s Voice, An Annotated Bibliography of American Presidential Campaign Newspapers, 1828-1984)

Christian Herald (Cincinnati, Ohio)

• One of the most influential early religious newspapers in Ohio, the Christian Herald is one of the more than 100 Ohio newspapers in Early American Newspapers, Series 12.   

The Whip and Spur (Newport, New Hampshire; 1839-1856)

• A pioneer in the use of aggressive personal attacks on its political adversaries, this paper described Henry Clay as “A LEADER whose political infamy is only surpassed by the depravity of his licentious and profligate character.” Early American Newspapers, Series 12, contains more than 50 newspapers from New Hampshire.  

New Orleans Commercial Bulletin (New Orleans, Louisiana; 1832-1871)

• The Commercial Bulletin was one of the most successful mercantile papers in New Orleans from 1830s to the 1870s, when New Orleans was the largest city in the South. Early American Newspapers, Series 12, contains more than 30 newspapers from Louisiana.  

Colorado Springs Gazette and El Paso County News (Colorado Springs, Colorado; 1874-1876)

• This paper covered the city of Colorado Springs and mining news from the entire state during the 1870s—the peak years of the silver boom. Early American Newspapers, Series 12, contains more than 30 newspapers from Colorado. 

Connecticut Catholic (Hartford, Connecticut; 1876)

• The Connecticut Catholic was one of the most successful of the many religious newspapers published in the Nutmeg State during the nineteenth century. Early American Newspapers, Series 12, contains more than 30 Connecticut newspapers, twenty of which were affiliated with religious denominations.