Amistad Library - Newspapers
Exploring Amistad includes coverage from a range of antebellum newspapers. We have tried to collect different kinds of papers, including both northern and southern, high-toned abolitionist and "penny-paper" sensationalist, African-American and mainstream sources. Of these, the two New York papers, the Journal of Commerce and the New York Herald, track the story especially closely -- though from two very different points of view.
Generally speaking, coverage for each paper begins in July 1839, and we have tried to follow the issue through to the Africans' departure in 1842. Some of our source newspaper runs are incomplete, and sometimes individual papers are damaged, so there are a few gaps in the library.
One Warning: these documents reflect the racial and social attitudes of their period. Some contain disturbing material. You may want to consult "Reading Nineteenth Century Newspapers".
For background on a particular paper and links to Amistad coverage, consult the links below:
The New York Journal of Commerce
The Richmond Enquirer
To track newspaper coverage along the twists and turns of the story, consult the Amistad Timeline.
To see the entire collection of newspaper articles:
