The World of Frederick Douglass's Newspapers

FAIN: FEL-281683-22

Benjamin Fagan
Auburn University (Auburn, AL 36849-0001)

Writing resulting in a book on Frederick Douglass’s work as a newspaper editor and its impact on multiple communities.

This project traces the making and impact of the four newspapers edited by Frederick Douglass: The North Star (1847-1851), Frederick Douglass’ Paper (1851-1860), Douglass’ Monthly (1859-1863), and the New National Era (1870-1874). Douglass spent over two decades in the editorial chair, and in his writings routinely named his newspapers as among his most important accomplishments. A robust body of work has established the importance of print in general, and newspapers in particular, to African American culture in the nineteenth century. Such work regularly acknowledges Douglass as one of the most influential newspaper editors of the nineteenth century, a judgment that Douglass and many of his contemporaries shared. But while recent scholarship has continued to expand our understanding of Douglass’s life and work, his newspapers remain largely understudied. The World of Frederick Douglass’s Newspapers will be the first monograph that explores the full range of Douglass’s periodicals.