New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-05-18
PROSPECTUS
on THE
new NATIONAL ERA
FRED'K DOUGLASS, Editor & Publisher

FRED'K DOUGLASS, Editor & Publisher
The NEw National ERA will partake of two.
fold nature--that ofan Advocateand an Educator.
As an Advocate, it will assert and maintain evsrx
right pertaining to the American citizen. ipda.
pendent of race, color, or accident of birth !,
will demand the recognition of these rights
wherever the Constitution extends or tho ~.
aonal ensign waves. As an Educator. ;ts ooI.
uis VIII De an especial medium for the effective
dituslon of right principles and much, needed IN
S'ruchon, and for the incubation ofthose hab;tsof
INDUSTRY, economy, and self.reliance which con.
duce to independent manhood, and give vitality
ana energy to free government, insuring in return
blessings to the governed.
While the editors ofthe NEw NATIONAL ER..ra
eoiored men, and the contributors will be- mainly
colored, yet the columns will be omen for thu
discussion of all questions of vital importance 70
the country by any of its citizens Commun;ca.
hons suitable for publication in these columns
are Soilclted from our friends in all parts of the
country, especially in the Southern States.
THE POLITICAL DEPARTMENT.
upon all questions involving the especial inter.
ests of the colored American citizen. tho s;m,,I,
rule OF equal Justice for all men will govern the
policy ofthe NEw NArIoNAL ERA. 1t will demand
the recognition of no right for one citizen which
1t will not freely accord to every other. II will
oppose any attempt to confer privileges upon a
class, that are withhedfr from the humblest citizen
In the land 1t will demand for every citizen
equality before the law, and full protection OF
person and property in every State and Territory
of the National Union.
The NEw NATIONAL Era will take bipb oronnd
upon all public questions, and labor to inspire
a oneness OF purpose aud encourage unity of
action, especially among the newly enfranchised
people OF the Reconstructed States Remem
bering the past history of the Republican party,
and recognizing what it has done for the colored
people of the nation, the New NATIONAL En-.
will'glve its hearty support to that party without
reserve This pledge of fidelity to the Republi.
can party is given under the conviction, and
with the assurance, that in the future, as in the
past, that party will he the steadast and infexi.
BILE support of those principles of Justice and
liberty which have now become a part of the
organic law of the land
THE EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENT
BY education the people of a free Government,
such as ours is intended to be, are better quail
fed to discharge their duties to the State.
and TO one another The nation will ever end
its surest safeguard in the intelligence of its
voting masses, and the journal which would pro
mote the highest good of government and people
must lend its energies and its power to the work
of educating that peor,e Especially is the
agency OF the press needed by that portion of
the people, colored and white, who, either
IN slavery or under the ban of its blighting in.
huence', have been deprived of the opportunities
enjoyed by their more favored brethren of the
free States.
The Freedmen's Bureau had under its charge
during the past year, as shown by the last annual
report, ia, 1923 cOlored pupils in the day schools
and S9,73l in the Sunday schools, employing
$3.50 teachers. About 100, 600 of these pupils
were slaves at the commencement of the war.
The educational oc Al:
contain matter prepared and selected with spe.
cal reference to the capacities and needs of this
large number of pupils and teachers, thereby
making the NEW NATIONAL ERA a valuable aux
Hilary in the scheme of education.
THE INDUSTRIAL DEPARTMENT.
The industrial interests of the coored people
will claim and receive large share of our at
tention. We adopt the following extracts from
the address promulgated by the Colored Labor
Convention held in this city in December last, as
indicating the views and policy of the New Ma
TIoNAL ERA on this subject:
"for our own good and the welfare Of our
country IN all things pertaining to her material
and moral well-being, seek better and
broader opportunity To gain knowledge in the
fields of agricultural mechanical, commercial,
artistic, and professional labor, and this know-
edge would energse, direct, and make more
largely effective through the enlightening and
sanctfyng influence of education. Our notices
are liberty and labor, acknowledgment and edu
cation The spelling-bo and the hoe, the
hammer and the vote, the opportunity to work
and to rise, place on which to stand, and to
be and TO do, we ask for ourselves and children
az the means III the Of which, under God,
we are 20 compass these achievements which
furnish the measure, the test, and justification
of our claim TO Impartial treatment and fair
dealing.
THAT this end may be reached, we ask, first
of all, that trades he opened to our children,
aud that they be given the benefit of a Just and
equitable system OF apprenticeship; in the
ond place that for every days labor given We
be paid full and fair remuneration, and that
avenue of honest industry be closed against us;
and thirdly, since we believe that the intelli-
gence the elevation, and happiness of all people
depends in no small degree upon the diversity
of their Industrial pursuits, we ask that We
may work in the printing office, whether private
or governmental, in the factory, the foundry, the
workshop, upon the railroad, the canal, the
river, the steamboat, in the warehouse the store,
wherever labor is to be done and an able and
faithful workman is wanted we conceive that
we may claim place without distinction as 10
color or former condition, since all that can
he demanded by the amnlOvar - ab;I;ty ca;t