''Nordstjernan'' (in English ''The North Star''), founded in 1872, is a mostly English-language newspaper for

Swedish American Swedish Americans ( sv, svenskamerikaner) are Americans of Swedish ancestry. They include the 1.2 million Swedish immigrants during 1865–1915, who formed tight-knit communities, as well as their descendants and more recent immigrants. Today, ...

s and

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

citizens in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The publisher is Swedish News, Inc. of New York City.

History

The first issue of America’s Swedish newspaper, ''Nordstjernan'', appeared on newsstands on September 21, 1872 in the Manhattan district of the city of New York. When Nordstjernan published its first issue,

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

(1822–1885), the victorious Union military commander from 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 ...

, was in the last weeks of campaigning for what would be his reelection to a second term as the 18th

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

(1869–1877). Since its foundation, it documented the links between Sweden and America but was initially created to supply the growing numbers of immigrants to the area with news from the old country. Svenska Tryckföreningen in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

began publishing ''Nordstjernan''. On newsstands each Saturday, at noon, it sold for six cents per copy, or three dollars per annual subscription, postage not included (later reduced to $2.00 per year and five cents per copy after protests from readers). During the early days of ''Nordstjernan'', the 1870s, stories in publications were composed by hand through

movable type Movable type (US English; moveable type in British English) is the system and technology of printing and typography that uses movable components to reproduce the elements of a document (usually individual alphanumeric characters or punctuation m ...

. Images were

engraved Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...

by hand as mirror images into metal.

Photoengraving Photoengraving is a process that uses a light-sensitive photoresist applied to the surface to be engraved to create a mask that protects some areas during a subsequent operation which etches, dissolves, or otherwise removes some or all of the mat ...

arrived much later.

Recent activities

Today ''Nordstjernan'' covers Swedish America from coast to coast. It contains news summaries, trends and columnists from Sweden but also covers traditions, trivia, seasonal recipes, and reports on Swedish community activities from all over the USA. Some of the organizations, such as the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce of San Francisco/Silicon Valley or the American Union of Swedish Singers appear in the newspaper on a regular, monthly basis. Others, such as the New Sweden Cultural Heritage Society or the American Swedish Historical Museum contribute regularly on people and early or later immigrant stories. While keeping up the Swedish-language tradition is still part of the newspaper's vision, content has increasingly been presented in English, expanding a trait present in the publication from its first issue. The newspaper, now published twice per month or biweekly, is 80% in English reflecting a readership divided between born

Swedish Americans Swedish Americans ( sv, svenskamerikaner) are Americans of Swedish ancestry. They include the 1.2 million Swedish immigrants during 1865–1915, who formed tight-knit communities, as well as their descendants and more recent immigrants. Today, ...

and

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

Swedes. In December, 2007, ''Nordstjernan'' merged with the similar publication ''

Vestkusten was an originally Swedish-language newspaper, published in California from 1887 to 2007. It was founded as ''Ebenezer'', a church news bulletin by Augustana Lutheran pastor Johannes Tellen, but it soon changed focus and became a newspaper after ...

'' in California. Published under the ''Nordstjernan'' name, the paper is printed at two locations simultaneously—outside New York and in northern California. Part of the newspaper and much of its online contents is now user-generated through upload functions.

Note

References

Sources

* Benson, Hedin (1938) ''Swedes in America 1638-1938'' (Yale University Press) * Kastrup, Allan (1975) ''The Swedish Heritage in America'' (Swedish Council of America)

External links

Nordstjernan website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nordstjernan (Newspaper) Newspapers published in New York City Swedish-American culture in New York (state) Swedish-American history Swedish-language newspapers published in the United States Non-English-language newspapers published in New York (state)