Freedom's Journal facts for kids
Volume 1, no.3, March 23, 1827
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| Type | Weekly newspaper |
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| Format | Tabloid |
| Owner(s) | John Brown Russwurm Samuel Cornish |
| Publisher | Cornish & Russwurm |
| Founded | March 16, 1827 |
| Language | English |
| Ceased publication | March 28, 1829 |
| Headquarters | New York City |
| OCLC number | 1570144 |
Freedom's Journal was a very important newspaper. It was the first newspaper in the United States owned and run by African Americans. It started on March 16, 1827, in New York City and came out every week.
This newspaper was created by Rev. John Wilk and other free Black men. It aimed to give a voice to the African-American community. In 1829, Freedom's Journal was replaced by another paper called The Rights of All. This new paper was also published by Samuel Cornish, who used to be a main editor at the Journal.
Contents
Why Freedom's Journal Started
The newspaper was founded by John Wilk, Peter Williams, Jr., and other important free Black leaders in New York City. One of these leaders was William Hamilton, who spoke out against slavery.
The first issue came out on March 16, 1827. It cost $3 a year and was delivered every Friday. At this time, newspapers became a key way for African Americans to speak up. They wanted to improve their lives and standing in society. The founders hoped to reach free Black people all over the United States. Many were working hard to learn to read and write, and they were succeeding.
Around this time, about 300,000 free Black Americans lived in the U.S. After 1810, the largest group lived in Maryland, a state where slavery was still allowed. In New York State, a law was passed in 1799 to slowly end slavery. This law said that enslaved children born after July 4, 1799, would become free in their twenties. A new law in 1817 sped up this process. The last enslaved person in New York was freed in 1827.
By 1808, the United States and Great Britain had stopped the African slave trade. However, slavery was growing fast in the Deep South. This was because of the high demand for workers on new cotton farms. Many enslaved people were forced to move from the Upper South to these new areas. They were sold and taken by land or sea in what was called the domestic slave trade.
The Newspaper's Journey
The newspaper's founders chose Samuel Cornish as the senior editor and John Brown Russwurm as the junior editor. Both men were active in their communities. Cornish was the first to start an African-American Presbyterian church. Russwurm was part of the Haytian Emigration Society. This group helped free Black people move to Haiti. Haiti became the second free republic in the Western Hemisphere and the first run by Black people, after its enslaved population won independence in 1804.
According to a journalist from that time, Irvine Garland Penn, Cornish and Russwurm wanted Freedom's Journal to fight against other New York newspapers. These papers often attacked African Americans and supported slavery. For example, Mordecai Manuel Noah wrote articles that put down African Americans. Other editors also made fun of Black people and supported slavery. New York's economy was closely tied to the South and slavery. In 1822, half of its exports were cotton. Its factories in upstate New York used cotton from the South.
Newspapers that opposed slavery often focused on how slavery was defended. Some people claimed enslaved people were like children who needed white support. They also spread ideas that Black people were not smart or were happy as slaves. These ideas tried to make Black people seem less than white people and a danger to society if they were free.
In their first issue, Cornish and Russwurm wrote: "Too long have others spoken for us, too long has the public been deceived by misrepresentations." They wanted their newspaper to help African Americans gain more control and feel more connected. They said they wanted to "establish a paper" to use all their gifts from God. Their goal was to improve their race morally, religiously, civilly, and intellectually.
Freedom’s Journal also reported on various issues in its "Summary" and "Domestic News" sections. This showed that problems in society were not just linked to one group. The paper often used a full column to report on these issues from across the nation. This helped to challenge common unfair ideas about Black Americans.
However, these sections disappeared after Samuel Cornish left the paper in 1827. This showed a bigger change happening at the newspaper.
Freedom's Journal shared news from around the world, the country, and the local area. Its main articles spoke out against slavery and other unfair treatments. It also discussed important topics like the American Colonization Society's plan to send free Black people to Liberia in West Africa. Freedom's Journal published letters from important Black American leaders who were against this plan. These included Richard Allen, head of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and Reverend Lewis Woodson.
The Journal also shared stories about important Black people. It listed births, deaths, and marriages in the African-American community in New York. This helped celebrate their achievements. The newspaper was sent to 11 states, Washington, D.C., Haiti, Europe, and Canada. It had many people who helped sell subscriptions, like David Walker in Boston.
Samuel Cornish: A Voice for Freedom
Samuel Cornish was born in Delaware to free Black parents in 1795. He was one of the founders and a co-editor of Freedom's Journal. He studied at Philadelphia's Free African School. He then became the first African American to become a Presbyterian minister, which was a difficult process. He finished his training in 1822 and moved back to New York. There, he started the city's first Black Presbyterian Church.
Samuel Cornish strongly believed that African Americans in the North should have full freedom. He also wanted slavery to end in the South. Cornish and other Black activists met to create Freedom's Journal. They wanted it to be a voice for the African-American community in New York City. Cornish became the senior editor.
Cornish left Freedom's Journal after only six months. It is said that he disagreed with junior editor John B. Russwurm about sending free Black Americans to Liberia. Cornish was against it, but Russwurm supported the American Colonization Society's plan. After Russwurm left the paper in 1829, Cornish briefly returned. The paper was then renamed The Rights of All. It officially closed in 1830.
John Brown Russwurm: Editor and Governor
John B. Russwurm, the junior editor, was born in Jamaica in 1799. His mother was an enslaved Black woman, and his father was a white American merchant. His father believed his son was a free citizen. He sent young Russwurm to a boarding school in Montreal, Canada. Later, his father moved to Portland, Maine, and married a white woman named Susan Blanchard. She treated Russwurm like a full member of her family.
After his father died in 1815, Susan Blanchard made sure Russwurm finished high school at Hebron Academy in Maine. When she remarried, she and her new husband helped Russwurm get into Bowdoin College in 1824. There, John B. Russwurm became the second known African American to earn a bachelor's degree from a U.S. university.
After college, John B. Russwurm moved back to New York City. He became an activist against racism and slavery. Just one year after getting his degree, he became the junior editor of Freedom's Journal. After Cornish left, Russwurm started to support the idea of free Black Americans moving to Africa, as suggested by the American Colonization Society. His readers did not agree with this, and many stopped reading the paper. He was an editor at Freedom's Journal until 1829. Then, he announced he was moving to Liberia.
In Liberia, Russwurm first worked as the superintendent of schools and the editor of the Liberia Herald. Later, in 1836, he became the governor of Liberia's Maryland Settlement. Russwurm felt that Liberia offered a real chance for African Americans to escape unfair treatment. He believed they could build a fair and successful society there.
"Theresa": A Story of Bravery
Freedom’s Journal wasn't just about news. It also published poems, stories, lectures, and summaries of talks and meetings. "Theresa- A Haytian Tale" is likely the first short story published by an African-American author. The author only used the initial "S.", so scholars still wonder who the real writer was. "Theresa" was published between January 18 and February 15, 1828.
"Theresa" takes place during the Haitian Revolution (1791-1803). The story is about three made-up women: Madame Paulina (the mother) and her two daughters, Amanda and Theresa. When Theresa's father and uncle die in the fight, Madame Paulina dresses as a French officer. She takes her daughters, disguised as prisoners, on a journey to safety. Along the way, Theresa overhears important information. This information could help the Haitian revolution succeed and save the lives of Toussaint L’Overture and his men. The story features a brave Black female main character. It shows heroism and an ideal picture of Black womanhood, which was rare in stories at that time.
The issues of April 6, 1827, April 20, 1827, and May 6, 1827, all included history about Haiti and its revolution. Freedom’s Journal showed that the American Revolution and the Haitian Revolution were both very important for African-American identity.
