The ''Signal of Liberty'' was an anti-slavery newspaper published in the mid-19th century in Michigan. The decision to publish a newspaper was one of the outcomes of the founding meeting of the

Michigan Anti-Slavery Society The Michigan Anti-Slavery Society, also called Michigan State Anti-Slavery Society was founded on November 10, 1836, in Ann Arbor of the Michigan Territory (1805–1837). The first meeting was held at the First Presbyterian Church on East Huron St ...

that met for several days beginning on November 10, 1836 in

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...

of the

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit w ...

(1805–1837). In 1838, Nicholas and William Sullivan published Michigan's first antislavery newspaper, the ''American Freedmen'' in

Jackson, Michigan Jackson is the only city and county seat of Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534, down from 36,316 at the 2000 census. Located along Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 127, it is approxi ...

. Seymour Treadwell published and was the editor of the ''Michigan Freeman'' in 1839. The papers did not have a regular printing schedule. The ''Signal of Liberty'' was published weekly from April 1841 to 1848 in Ann Arbor by Rev. Guy Beckley and Theodore Foster, who were co-editors. It was printed on Broadway Avenue on the second floor of Josiah Beckley's merchantile shop. The purpose of the newspaper was to encourage anti-slavery sentiment by sharing the stories of the lives of enslaved people. They interviewed freedom seekers who left their slaveholders and passed through or settled in Michigan. When African Americans escaped slavery, they were often pursued by slave catchers. The ''Signal of Liberty'' covered the stories of "kidnapping outrages" like the

Kentucky raid in Cass County (1847) Kentucky raid in Cass County (1847) was conducted by slaveholders and slave catchers who raided Underground Railroad stations in Cass County, Michigan to capture black people and return them to slavery. After unsuccessful attempts, and a lost court ...

, the Crosswhite Affair in Marshall, and raids that occurred in Detroit. There were regular sections in the paper for national news, antislavery society news, and poetry. It announced antislavery societies that were established throughout Michigan. The newspaper served its subscribers in Michigan and the Midwest. After the newspaper closed, ''Michigan Liberty Press'' was published. Promoting antislavery messages could be dangerous. Throughout the 1830s, anti-slavery lecturers faced angry crowds. Abolitionist

Elijah Parish Lovejoy Elijah Parish Lovejoy (November 9, 1802 – November 7, 1837) was an American Presbyterian minister, journalist, newspaper editor, and abolitionist. Following his murder by a mob, he became a martyr to the abolitionist cause opposing slavery ...

was killed in

Alton, Illinois Alton ( ) is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 25,676 at the 2020 census. It is a part of the River Bend area in the Metro-East region of the ...

, by a pro-slavery mob in the fall of 1837 after he refused to give up his printing press.

References

External links

Digitized versions of ''Signal of Liberty''
1841 to 1848, Ann Arbor District Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Signal of Liberty African-American newspapers Abolitionist newspapers published in the United States Defunct newspapers published in Michigan Mass media in Ann Arbor, Michigan 19th century in Michigan African-American history of Michigan United States documents Newspapers established in 1841 Publications disestablished in 1848 1841 establishments in Michigan 1848 disestablishments in Michigan

See also

References

External links