To our Patrons

Title of the Document

To our Patrons

One Line Summary

First edition of America’s first black owned newspaper column

Author

John Brown Russwurm

Date Created

1827

Location

New York City, NY

Type of Document

Newspaper Article

Publisher

Peter Williams Jr and Samuel E. Cornish

Transcription

This is the first ever issue of the first black owned newspaper column in the United States. “The Freedom’s Journal” was used as a platform for black people, regardless of freedom status, to be able to truly speak their minds on issues of the time. It was able to reach 11 states as well as parts of Canada, Haiti, Colombia, and Europe. The column covered the issues that enslaved people faced and potential solutions to abolishing the institution as a whole.

Related

Capt. Paul Cuffee was an abolitionist and a businessman from Massachusetts. Through his family’s fishing company that branched across the globe, Cuffee became one of the richest men of color in the world during the early 1800s. This was unheard of, especially in the height of slavery, for a black man to demand so much respect through his hard work.

David Walker (1796-1830)

Provenance

“John Brown Russwurm, To our Patrons, 1827,” The Freedom’s Journal, Library of
Congress, 2835-9593.