''New National Era'' (1870–1874) was an African American newspaper, published in Washington D.C. during the

Reconstruction Era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

in the decade after 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 ...

and the

Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War. The Proclamation changed the legal sta ...

. Originally known as the ''New Era'', the pioneering abolitionist and writer

Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 1817 or 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became ...

renamed it in 1870 when he became the newspaper's publisher and editor. 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 Thomas Whitmarsh Cardozo (December 19, 1838 (p. 186) – April 13, 1881) was an American educator, journalist, and public official during the Reconstruction Era in the United States. He served as State Superintendent of Education in Mississippi a ...

wrote pseudonymous accounts of his experience in government in Reconstruction-era Mississippi under the name "Civis."

Richard Theodore Greener Richard Theodore Greener (1844–1922) was a pioneering African-American scholar, excelling in elocution, philosophy, law and classics in the Reconstruction era. He broke ground as Harvard College's first Black graduate in 1870. Within three ye ...

, who had been Harvard College's first Black graduate in 1870, was hired in 1873 as associate editor. 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 Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...

, Republican politics of the day, and Black Washington D.C. In 1872, Douglass stepped down as editor, and his son Lewis H. Douglass took over from 1873–1874.

Richard T. Greener Richard Theodore Greener (1844–1922) was a pioneering African-American scholar, excelling in elocution, philosophy, law and classics in the Reconstruction era. He broke ground as Harvard College's first Black graduate in 1870. Within three y ...

and John A. Cook succeeded him, and the newspaper’s name changed again, this time evolving into the ''New National Era and Citizen.''

References

{{authority control 1870 establishments in Washington, D.C. Publications established in 1870 Defunct newspapers published in Washington, D.C. Defunct African-American newspapers 1870s disestablishments in Washington, D.C. Publications disestablished in the 1870s Frederick Douglass

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