Early American Newspapers: Series 16, 1800-1877

As canals and railroads snaked their way deeper into America’s national landscape—and national psyche—in the 19th century, old industries expanded and new ones were born. Cities swelled as immigrants and workers poured in to supply manufacturing and resource extraction businesses with labor. Today, the consequences of these extraordinary changes are of increasing interest to researchers. No resource better captures the intersection of America’s environmental, social and industrial past than Early American Newspapers, Series 16, 1800-1877: Industry and the Environment.

Vivid accounts of industrial growth
Featuring more than 60 titles published between 1800 and 1877, Early American Newspapers, Series 16, offers vivid accounts of the origins and growth of America’s most important industries, including textiles, agriculture, coal mining, oil and gas drilling, iron and steel production, commercial fishing and whaling, timber, railroads, canals and more. But America’s transformation from an agrarian nation to an industrial powerhouse wasn’t without repercussions, and newspapers from the towns and cities most impacted by these industries didn’t shirk from covering their environmental and social costs. The publications in Early American Newspapers, Series 16, provide firsthand reporting, editorial analysis, advertisements and classifieds that shed light on the impact of America’s march forward.

A plethora of teaching and research applications
Early American Newspapers, Series 16 is essential for researchers interested in environmental history, sustainability, business, economics, environmental law, immigration, women’s studies and other fields. Students and scholars will find compelling coverage of air and water pollution, urban congestion, depleted natural resources, and unique insight on the effect of Civil War and other military engagements on the natural landscape.

Notable newspapers from industrial centers
Like other Early American Newspapers modules, Series 16 offers titles listed in the authoritative bibliographies by Clarence S. Brigham and Winifred Gregory. A distinguished academic advisory board guided the selection process, and all of the newspapers were sourced at the American Antiquarian Society and the Wisconsin Historical Society. Notable publications include Buffalo Evening Post (NY); The Daily Courier (Lowell, MA); Bangor Daily Union (ME); Railroad Record and Journal of Commerce, Banking, Manufactures and Statistics (Cincinnati, OH); Savannah Daily Republican (GA); Lackawanna Citizen (Carbondale, PA); New Bedford Daily Evening Standard (MA); The New Nation (Richmond, VA) and dozens of others.