The ''Journal of Freedom'' was the first

African American newspaper African-American newspapers (also known as the Black press or Black newspapers) are news publications in the United States serving African-American communities. Samuel Cornish and John Brown Russwurm started the first African-American periodi ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. It was founded on September 30, 1865, and dissolved the next month. Edward P. Brooks, a white journalist and former member of the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

, was its editor.

Background and publication

Edward P. Brooks was a white journalist who worked at the ''

Daily Progress ''The Daily Progress'' is the sole daily newspaper in the vicinity of Charlottesville, Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It has been published daily, since September 14, 1892. The paper was founded by James Hubert Lindsay and h ...

'' of

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

and as a correspondent for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' and served in the

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. The ''Journal of Freedom'' was first published as a

weekly newspaper A weekly newspaper is a general-news or Current affairs (news format), current affairs publication that is issued once or twice a week in a wide variety broadsheet, magazine, and electronic publishing, digital formats. Similarly, a biweekly new ...

on September 30, 1865, by Edward P. Brooks in

. The paper was established for the freedpeople of the state – black North Carolinans who were recently freed from slavery in the aftermath of the Civil War – and it was the first African American newspaper in North Carolina. It advocated for the

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

of African Americans, especially universal suffrage for men. It was Republican in its political orientation. The political mission of the paper was opposed by the ''Daily Progress''; the writer of one article stated "we are opposed to the extension of the right of suffrage to the blacks", while it also wished Brooks financial success "as a friend". Subscriptions to the paper cost $4 per year, and it had perhaps 1,000 subscribers. It was supported by those attending the 1865 North Carolina freedmen convention. The convention called for freedpeople to support the paper, but it dissolved on October 28, 1865. It was succeeded by several other newspapers for North Carolina's black community, including the '' Raleigh Enterprise'' (founded in 1866), the '' African Expositor'' (1877), and the ''

Journal of Freedom The ''Journal of Freedom'' was the first African American newspaper in North Carolina. It was founded on September 30, 1865, and dissolved the next month. Edward P. Brooks, a white journalist and former member of the Union Army, was its editor. ...

'' (1879).

References

Citations

Bibliography

Scholarship

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Newspapers

* * * {{refend 1865 disestablishments in North Carolina 1865 establishments in North Carolina Defunct African-American newspapers Defunct newspapers published in North Carolina Weekly newspapers published in North Carolina