St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1957-04-19

All OF these papers, no matter
how non desCript. In Typography.
mr how poorly written and edited
strongly influenced the thInkInE
and action Of the people In the
areas I'm which they were published
Their very presence as mediums Of
news and expression. arrayed A.
Eatust the accepted status quo. in
this instance legallzed bondage
set them apart 90 De either hated
or admired-feared or appIauded
The best known paper Of that
period. the North star. published
Ug Fred Douglass at Rochester. n
s. was typical OF early Negro
papers. Iu that 60 was feared and
hated 10 had the added attribute OF
being widely read both in the Unit
ed state and England. Douglass. its
eloquent editor was both one OF the
greatest American orators and an
effective writer. He was one OF the
most widely quoted editors OF the
period from lS47 until 1850. In-
Cuenrlng 10 great decree both
American and British opinion on
the slavery issue.
Like many Negro papers since
1927 and until the late lggU's. his
paper was published under the most
procarious conditions. because of
lack Of capital In addition. the
North star was the object Of a
number Of plots to destroy its
printing plant In one such effort
the home Of Douglass was set afirs
and the files of the first twelve
volumes Of his paper were destroy
ed along with his home and its
furnishings.
The New York HERALD. daily
H4#Ha H.#.
now respectable n. Y. Herald Trfh-
une, a Negro hating and batting
paper urged the people Of R0Ches-
ter 20 throw Douglasses presses in
90 the river and exile him to Cana
da
This early representative Of the
Negro press, which never reached
a regular paid up circulation Of
over 5000, nevertheless had in
fluence far out Of proportion 90 its
CirCulation-fOr IL was crusader
against social evil, and q moral
wrong which defied the Biblical
truth that all men are brothers.
and that all men are equal before
the God Of hosts. IL played this role
as the most successful Negro news
papers did before the Emancipa-
ton Proclamation and has c0uunu-
ed 10 do so since.
This press has had q greater lob
10 do since LinC0ln's proclamation
because while the proclamation
legally freed the slaves DO left them
slaves Of poverty ignorance. eN-
ploitation On land disfEurgd and
disorg8nized by four years Of war.
leaving both free men. freed
slaves, and masters. black and
white, totally unprepared for the
tasks ahead.
This press Of which speak.
born Of necessity before the Civil
War, was confronted. after 1858,
with the responsibility Of iufIu.uu-
ing and helping guide the freedmen
into proper paths Of Industry,
thrift education and moral living,
and at the same time fighting off
those who were anxious TO return
the freedmen. to slave status By
one means or another.
This press. IN equipped financial
~ and I'm support 20 I'm the aUpBr-
cnt need, nevertheless. offered a
challenge TO real men and women
90 take up their pens don their
printers aprons, and keep alive I'M
the breasts Of their people. the hope
Of eventual true freedom. They did
this well despite the fact that most
OF the Negro people could not read
line Of type.
The names Of some Of these early
papers illustrate better than ! can
tell the tenor OF their content. APP
peal and editorial program. Such
titles as Freedoms Voice Rights
Of Man Mirror Of Liberty. Tho
Elevator Genius Of Freedom
The Rams Horn Freedom Call
and the 'Colorcd American. AIN iu
graphic form delineato the path
these newspapers sought TO follow