EOTO Reaction Post: The Liberator and the North Star Newspaper

The Liberator

William Lloyd Garrison, a black abolitionist who was born 10 December, 1805, was the publisher behind The Liberator newspaper. The Liberator started in 1835 in Boston Massachusetts, and was primarily funded by black organizations. Since it was a smaller publication and was illegal to purchase and read in the South, it sold around 3,000 copies a week. 

The Liberator covered three major stories throughout its 30 years in print: The John Brown Raid, the Nat Turner Rebellion, and the Civil War. 

The John Brown Raid, which took place in October 1859, was led by John Brown, who was an abolitionist dedicated to fighting against slavery. The raid, which ultimately failed, was an attempt to lead a slave revolt in the South. 

Between August 21 and August 22 1831, the Nat Turner Rebellion took place in Southampton Country, Virginia, and was the deadliest slave revolt in the history of the United States. 

Finally, The Liberator covered the Civil War, which spanned from 1861-1864. With the Union Army winning the war, and the 13th Amendment constituting the abolition of slavery, The Liberator’s time in print came to a halt. 

The North Star Newspaper

The Liberator wasn’t the only newspaper targeted towards abolitionists. The North Star Newspaper was published in New York from 1847 to 1851. This anti-slavery newspaper was created and edited by Frederick Douglass, and the significance of the title comes from slaves using the north star to guide themselves to freedom upon escaping the confines of slavery in the South. 

The purpose of The North Star Newspaper was not only to end slavery, but to also encourage the equality and societal advancement of African Americans in the United States. In his newspaper, Douglass covered anything from abolitionist news to the advancement and support of the women’s rights movement. This newspaper was perhaps the most influential source of information as the Civil War loomed on the horizon. 

As Douglass staunchly stated as the motto of his newspaper: “Right is of no sex, truth is of no color–God is the father of us all, and we are brethren.” 

EOTO 1: Joseph Pulitzer

Joseph Pulitzer was a titan of the publishing world and established a legacy that went far beyond the newspapers of 19th century New York City.

Joseph Pulitzer was born April 10, 1847 in Mako Hungary. He was of Maygo and Jewish Origin, and suffered from poor health, which would plague him for the rest of his life. He was refused from the Austrian Army because of his health conditions and poor eyesight. This dismissal spurred him to travel to Boston as a draftee for the Union Army where he enlisted in the Lincoln Calvary for a year. In 1878, Pulitzer began his career in publishing and emerged as the owner of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. That same year, he married Kate Davis. 

This Hungarian immigrant, who had been made fun of for most of his life for being of Jewish origin, had transformed his life into being a respected American citizen.

In 1883, Pulitzer met with Jay Gould and negotiated the purchase of The New York World. In the next ten years, The World climbed to more than 600,000 editions and was the largest circulating newspaper in the country. However, Pulitzer lived in a time where newspaper giants were emerging all over New York City and between the years of 1896 and 1898, he was engaged in a circulation battle with William Randolph Hearst. The results from these two newspapers competing with each other coined the term of “yellow journalism,” which is the sensationalism and fabrication of news. 

In order to understand the importance of Joseph Pulitzer as a leading figure in the world of newspapers, it is crucial to understand the term of  “yellow journalism.” This is a type of newspaper reporting that preferred to use sensationalism instead of facts. “Yellow Journalism” was a direct result of the circulation battle between Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst as they both used sensationalism in order to increase their readers. As Seymour Topping described: “The New York World vs. The New York Journal meant no restraints on sensationalism or fabrication. 

In 1890, at the age of 43, Pulitzer, who was virtually blind and suffering from major health conditions, retired from the newsroom. He died October 29, 1911 and one year later, with the money that Pulitzer gifted to Columbia University, the Columbia school of journalism was founded. In 1917, the first Pulitzer prizes were awarded, which are still being awarded to this day. Some notable Pulitzer winners are Ernest Hemmingway, Toni Morrison, and John F. Kennedy. 

The New York World and The Spanish - American War 

The New York World began as a penny paper in 1860. In may 1883, Pulitzer purchased the New York World from Jay Gould which became the leading journalistic voice for the Democratic party in the United States. He introduced concepts such as comics, sports and women’s fashion in order to increase and attract a greater audience, allowing his newspaper to become a source of entertainment as well as information. In 1931, the New York World merged and began the New York World-Telegram. However, this newspaper closed down in 1967. 

Beginning in 1898, the Spanish American War resulted in Spain relinquishing its claims on Cuba, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines to the United States. The conditions of the war: shelter, lack of food and medical care were graphically depicted in The New York World and the New York Journal. Both Pulitzer and Hearst used the war as a way to increase the revenue and sales of the newspapers by using sensationalism instead of reporting the facts. 

Joseph Pulitzer, a Jewish immigrant with humble beginnings, transformed himself into a name that will never be forgotten. While the prestigious Pultizer Prize is how we remember him to this day, it is vital to never forget the contributions he made to journalism and the shaping of the modern American newspaper during the 19th century.

As Pulitzer once stated, "Our republic and its press will rise or fall together." 

A Midterm Recap: A Brief History of American Press

"The press should never act as an arm of the government.”

This simple sentence was the introduction of a long series of riveting lectures which set the tone for the content of this course. Over the past few weeks, I have learned the importance of the First Amendment and how it relates to the establishment of the press in American history.

Beginning with the colonial era, and then transitioning through the period of the Penny Press all the way to the founding of press empires, the First Amendment’s purpose is not to go unnoticed. Rather, the creation of the First Amendment has developed the American relationship with the press for the past 200 years. 

The Colonial Press Era began in 1690 with the shutdown of Publick Occurrences, which is a prime example of the lack of the First Amendment in a pre-revolutionary war society. However, almost 40 years later, the infamous Ben Franklin started the Pennsylvania Gazette that contained hints of veiled revolutionary language. 

This led to the Partisan Press Era beginning in 1776 with Thomas Payne’s Common Sense, which is an excellent example of using the American press to criticize the government. The Partisan Press Era was when news publications openly identified with a single political party, often resulting in that party financing the paper. During this period, the press had a more editorial focus, highlighting politics, religion and morality. 

In 1789, James Madison drafted the First Amendment, which led to the installation of the Bill of Rights. In 1798, John Adams’ passed the Sedition Act, stating that it was a crime to criticize the government. However, this was “killed” two years later when Jefferson came to office because the Sedition Act was a direct contrast to the rights and beliefs of the American people. 

With the advancements of the printing press accelerating, newspaper production also grew. In 1833, Benjamin Day of the New York Sun, established the one cent paper. This is where the Penny Press Era got its name. All of a sudden, newspapers became affordable and appealed to a large percentage of American society. However, this also led to massive competition between news corporations as they were all fighting to stay afloat. James Gordon Bennett of the New York Herald was able to absorb his competitor into his news empire, which kickstarted the era of press empires. 

All of this leads us to the rise of the press empire. Beginning with Horace Greenley of the New York Tribune, American journalism shifted into having a broader focus on community issues, crime and human interest pieces. This era also saw the rise of the “objectivity standard,” which meant that there was a separation of news and opinion. This was the opposite of the partisan press as journalists focused on neutral reportage of both sides of an issue. The idea of the “objectivity standard” was first put into practice by Charles Dana of The New York Times. 

However, much to American dismay, objectivity in the news has been a heavily discussed issue in recent years. If the influential individuals of the slowly maturing news world could see the American Press and the usage of the First Amendment now, I believe they would be highly disappointed with how the government treats the press. Now more than ever, it is crucial to keep in mind that the American press is not, and should not, be an arm of the government. Rather, newspapers and media outlets should attempt to reach the glory they once held in American society. 

Why am I Here?

I have never considered the question "why am I here" before.

The simple answer would be: I am here because I love to write. However, when has writing ever been simple? 

I grew up surrounded by books. My mother, being a reading specialist, taught me to read at a very young age. Instead of hiring a babysitter, she would drop me and my siblings off at Barnes & Noble, where we would devour pages upon pages of books. 

My love of literature quickly grew into a passion for writing. I enrolled in screenwriting programs at the School of the New York Times and filled notebooks with ideas and plot structure. However, I never thought I could make a career out of it. 

I came to High Point University as a student ready to pursue a degree in Media Production. I quickly realized that this wasn’t going to be the path for me. I wanted to trade the control room for a writer’s room; the camera’s for a keyboard. Upon this realization, I shifted my educational endeavors to a double major in English and Journalism. This way, I could write creatively, academically and journalistically, all the while acquiring the skills necessary to achieve my dream of some day working in the publishing world. 

My time at HPU hasn’t been smooth sailing. After my first week of classes freshman year, I wanted to transfer. It wasn’t homesickness or nerves, I genuinely could not see myself graduating from HPU in four years. I opened the transfer portal to begin applications, and yet my mom told me to “stick it out for one semester.” 

I am so glad I listened. 

That "one semester" turned into me completing my freshman year and excited to come back for more. Now I am a junior, gradutation just one year away, and I can't imagine being anywhere else.

If I hadn’t “pushed through,” and given myself the opportunity to keep an open-mind, I wouldn’t have met the friends and mentors I have today. Dr. Carlson, a professor in the English department, made me realize the talent I have for writing, and the passion I have for literature. He believed in me as I struggled through his Critical Theory class, and celebrated me when I submitted my final piece on psychoanalysis in The Awakening. This paper has now been accepted into the National Undergraduate Literature Convention, which I will be presenting at in April. 

If I hadn’t “pushed through,” I wouldn’t have added a journalism major and met the incomparable Bobby Hayes. If I hadn’t taken his Copyediting class, I wouldn’t have come to the realization that I wanted to pursue a career in publishing. 

While I am here because I love to write, the real reason I am here is because I didn’t allow myself to give up the minute things got hard. I allowed myself to change my mind, to explore different opportunities, and to make connections with people who genuinely want to see me succeed.