African American Studies: African American Newspapers

The California Eagle, the West's oldest African-American newspaper, was published from 1879-1964. John James Neimore established it in Los Angeles as The California Owl in 1879, to ease black settlers' transition to the West. The paper provided housing and job information, and other information essential to surviving in a new environment. The paper evolved into one of the leading papers of the day while under the control of Charlotta A. Bass and her husband, John Bass. Charlotta Bass assumed control of The Owl following the death of Neimore in 1912, and renamed it The California Eagle.

Freedom's Journal was the first African-American owned and operated newspaper published in the United States. Founded by Rev. Peter Williams, Jr. and other free black men in New York City, it was published weekly as a four-page, four-column newspaper, starting with the March 16, 1827 issue. Freedom's Journal circulated in 11 states, the District of Columbia, Haiti, Europe, and Canada.

This guide provides a list of historical African American Newspapers available online as part of digitization projects at libraries and historical societies as well as digitization projects done by Google.

Weekly African-American newspaper from Guthrie, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

Weekly African-American newspaper from Guthrie, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

1905-1907

St. Louis Argus Newspaper (1915-1926) This collection contains digitized and enhanced issues of the St. Louis Argus scanned from micro-film for the years 1915-1926. The St. Louis Argus, while not technically the 'first' black newspaper in St. Louis, became the most recognizable name in the black journalism locally for much of the 20th century.