African Americans

Frustrated by the demeaning depictions of African Americans in newspapers at the time, and by the failure of those papers to publish matters relevant to life in the free black community, in 1827 free black New Yorkers John Russwurm and Samuel Cornish founded Freedom’s Journal, the first newspaper in the United States owned and operated by African Americans.

A weekly, Freedom’s Journal published local news from free African American communities, but also op-eds, national and international news. At its peak the paper had subscribers in eleven states, Canada, Europe, and Haiti.

In 1829 Russwurm and Cornish parted ways over Russwurm’s advocacy of emigration to Africa and the paper folded.

Despite its relatively brief life, Freedom’s Journal was influential and trailblazing. By 1861 there were over 40 black-owned and operated newspapers in the United States.

Freedom’s Journal, the first newspaper in the United States owned and operated by African Americans, was founded on March 16, 1827, one hundred ninety-six years ago today.

John Russwurm, the first black graduate of Bowdoin College, emigrated to Liberia in 1829, where he held prominent government positions and was one of the country’s most important founders. He died in Cape Palmas, Liberia in 1851.

Samuel Cornish, a Presbyterian minister, continued his work as a journalist and was one of the founding members of the American Anti-Slavery Society. He died in New York City in 1858.

Cornish (left) and Russwurm (right).