New National Era
The paper published its first issue on January 13, 1870.
FormatBroadsheet
PublisherFrederick Douglass
Editor
Associate editorRichard Theodore Greener
Political alignmentLate 19th c. Republican
Relaunched1870
CityWashington, D.C.
ReadershipNational
Websitehttps://www.loc.gov/item/sn84026753/
Free online archivesLibrary of Congress

New National Era (1870–1874) was an African American newspaper, published in Washington, D.C., during the Reconstruction Era in the decade after the American Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation.[1] Originally known as the New Era, the pioneering abolitionist and writer Frederick Douglass renamed it in 1870 when he became the newspaper's publisher and editor.[2]

The first issue under Douglas was published on January 13, 1870, and was largely devoted to coverage of the Colored National Labor Union, which had convened its inaugural meeting in December of 1869. In subsequent issues, Thomas W. Cardozo wrote pseudonymous accounts of his experience in government in Reconstruction-era Mississippi under the name "Civis."[3] Richard Theodore Greener, who had been Harvard College's first Black graduate in 1870, was hired in 1873 as associate editor.[4] Described as a "well conducted" newspaper, aimed at addressing the issues of the black community in D.C., the New National Era focused on issues of Reconstruction, Republican politics of the day, and Black Washington, D.C.[5][6][7]

In 1872, Douglass stepped down as editor, and his son Lewis H. Douglass took over from 1873–1874. Richard T. Greener and John A. Cook succeeded him, and the newspaper’s name changed again, this time evolving into the New National Era and Citizen.[8][9]

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See also

References

  1. ^ "New National Era (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  2. ^ "New National Era | New York Heritage". nyheritage.org.
  3. ^ Brock, Euline W. (1981). "Thomas W. Cardozo: Fallible Black Reconstruction Leader". The Journal of Southern History. 47 (2): 183–206. doi:10.2307/2207949. ISSN 0022-4642. JSTOR 2207949.
  4. ^ Simmons, William J., and Henry McNeal Turner, Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising, GM Rewell & Company, 1887, pp. 327–335.
  5. ^ The Rising Son: Or, The Antecedents and Advancement of the Colored Race. A. G. Brown. 1874-01-01.
  6. ^ "The New National Era". Readex.
  7. ^ KRYWICKI, JARAD. “‘The Soft Answer’: The ‘National Era’s’ Network of Understanding.” American Periodicals 23, no. 2 (2013): 125–41. JSTOR 24589014.
  8. ^ "New national era". Library of Congress.
  9. ^ Chaddock, Katherine Reynolds (October 8, 2017). Uncompromising Activist: Richard Greener, First Black Graduate of Harvard College. JHU Press. ISBN 9781421423302 – via Google Books.
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