Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1957-04-19


All o. these papers. no matter
how membership. ta typography.
or how poorly written au1 edited
str9nsly inElgsucga taa thfaklps
ana action % the people ta thv
areas Ca Waich they were published
Their very presence as mediums o.
news and expression, arrAyrd a.
gaiust the accepted status QUO, ia
this Instance legAliEed bondage
set them apart 20 be either hated
OF sdmiFed--teargd or applauaea.
The best known paper or that
period the North star pubHahed
BY Fred Douglass az Rochester. n
r. Was typical % eartv Negro
papers On that % was feared and
hated u had the added attribute ~
being widely read both Ira the Unit
ed state ard England Douglass. its
olpQ4eut editor was both one 81 the
greatest American orators ana an
effective writer He was ore % the
most widely quoted editors o. the
period from ts4f gntl 1859. lu-
rAucNelng 20 q great DECREE both
American and British opinion on
the slavery issue
Like many Negro papara since
1887 ana until the late ls9a's his
paper was published under The uust
bEeeSft9us conditions because OF
lack % capital Ia ADDITION. TIE
North Star was the bblert % a
nBHhsT % plots 20 destroy It's
printing plant In enc such effort
the home % Douglass was SGT afIre
and the files Of thr first twelve
volumes o. bis paper wtfH destroy.
90 along with Biz home and lts
furnishings.
The New York HERALD. a daily
newspaper. the fbrcruHuCr Of the
now respectable n T. HerAld Trio.
uHe, NEGRO hating and batting
paper urged the people Of Euehts-
ter 60 throw DouEiasHss presses tn
% the river and exile him TO cana
ea
This early representative Of the
Negro press, which never reached
regular paid up circulation ef
over 3,oa0 nevertheless had In
flueuce FAR out Of proportion 20 IFS
eifcQiattQB=--fpr 10 was a crusader
against social evil. ana a moral
wrong which dshed the Biblical
truth that all msu are brothers.
and that an men are equal before
the God OF hosts. II played this role
as the most succeAatul Negro news-
papers tld before tho Emanclpa-
ton Proclamation and has runtiru-
ed 20 do 30 slEee
THIS press has had greater Job
20 do since ldneoIns proclamation
because while the proclamation
legally freed the slaves lt left them
slaves q poverty, ignorance. eE-
pinltstion In land diagEurcd and
diserganlEcd by four years ~ war.
leaving both free men. freed
slaves. and masters, black and
WHITE, totally uHprepsFed for tho
tasks ahead
This press Of which speak.
born OF necessity before the civil
War. was confronted after 1858.
with the responsibility af iufipsnc-
ing and helping guide the freedmen
lUtp proper patN9 Uf industry
tbrift, education and moral living
and at the came time fighting Off
th"se who were anxious to return
the freedmen, 20 slave status 6g
one means or another.
This press, 90 equipped financial
" ana iu support to fiIl the auuar-
ert need neyerthelRzr offered a
challenge 20 real men and women
90 take up their pens. don their
printers aprons, and keep alive tn
the breasts % their people. The hope
% eventual true freedom. they ala
thls well. despite the fact that most
or the Negro people could not read
a line ~ type.
The names ~ some 81 these early
paperH illustrate better than I can
tell Oh" tenor ~ th"tT content. Hp-
peal and editorial program such
titles a. "Freoaom.4 Fafcs Rights
% Man. Mirror % Liberty. The
Elevator. Genius Of Freedom
The Rams Horn. 'FrrrHaw.s Calf
and the TalnvnB American aW ia
graphic form aeIiasate the rath
these newspapers sought 70 follow
ana ne role tseF attempted 90 play
w American life.