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Posted by: Arlene Balkansky
On July 5, 1852, eminent African American abolitionist Frederick Douglass delivered a brilliant speech that was a powerful indictment of American slavery and racism. Read the speech as printed within days in his own newspaper.
Posted in: African American History, Biography, Digitized Newspapers, Holidays
Posted by: Amber Paranick
This year’s celebration of Pride Month wrapped up this week and we wanted to highlight an important figure in the history of blues music whose story has often been overlooked. Gertrude “Ma” Rainey was hailed as the “Mother of the Blues” and was a bisexual Black singer who has and continues to inspire generations of musicians. …
Posted in: African American History, Biography, LGBTQ+, Newspapers, Women's History
Posted by: Arlene Balkansky
Harriet Tubman escaped slavery on Maryland's Eastern Shore in 1849. She then returned there multiple times, risking her life to bring others to freedom as a renowned conductor on the Underground Railroad.
Posted in: African American History, Biography, Digitized Newspapers, Women's History
Posted by: Heather Thomas
President Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) is a man of many "firsts." Bold and progressive-minded, he's always on the cutting edge and embraces technological innovations.
Posted in: Biography, Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers, U.S. Presidents
Posted by: Amber Paranick
Madam C.J. Walker (1867-1919) was one of the first American women to become a self-made millionaire through her company, Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing. Though she had no formal education, she gained a wide reputation as an African American entrepreneur in the cosmetics industry and manufacturer of a hair remedy, which she coined the “Walker System.” …
Posted in: Advertising, African American History, Biography, Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers, Women's History
Posted by: Malea Walker
As COVID-19 changes our world, we rely on our medical community to care for us and our loved ones more than ever. But their names rarely make the headlines despite their tireless efforts and personal risk. So in honor of National Nurses Week, we are dedicating this issue to all of those nurses who are …
Posted in: African American History, Biography, Digitized Newspapers, Women's History
Posted by: Heather Thomas
Rose Cecil O'Neill was an iconoclast in every sense of the word. A self-taught bohemian artist, who ascended through a male-dominated field to become a top illustrator and the first to build a merchandising empire from her work, with her invention of the Kewpie doll.
Posted in: Biography, Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers, Women's History
Posted by: Arlene Balkansky
Have you tried searching our new online collection: Frederick Douglass Newspapers, 1847-1874? We've just added some additional issues of The North Star and Frederick Douglass' Paper, all digitized from original paper format.
Posted in: African American History, Biography, Digitized Newspapers
Posted by: Amber Paranick
This is a revision of the Headlines and Heroes 2019 International Women’s Day blog. Sunday, March 8, 2020, was International Women’s Day and today we return to our historical newspaper archives for stories featuring change-making women in newspapers searchable in Chronicling America. This database, sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of …
Posted in: Biography, Digitized Newspapers, Holidays, Women's History