The North Star Newspaper

“Right is of no sex—Truth is of no color—God is the Father of us all, and we are brethren.” A striking statement made from one of the most prominent abolitionist newspapers of the late 19th century, the North Star Newspaper. Founded by Frederick Douglass in 1841, this newspaper’s purpose was to promote the freedom of enslaved African Americans in hopes of ending slavery overall. Even the name “The North Star,” or Polaris, was a symbol of hope as the North Star itself was used as a guide for slaves in America who attempted the journey to free states.  

As for the founder of the newspaper himself, Frederick Douglass was a former slave who became a well-known writer, editor, and entrepreneur. Born in Talbot County, Maryland, in 1818, Frederick Douglass taught himself how to read and write, allowing him to communicate with others, and eventually make it to freedom. As a free man, he became involved with the abolitionist movement and spoke on that topic heavily. 

Because of Douglass’ passion for African American freedom and intellectual improvement, it led him to begin his newspaper in New York called the North Star Newspaper. This newspaper provided him with an outlet to express his opinions and concerns regarding America’s progress in abolishing slavery. The newspaper itself went through three phases over the course of its publishing years. 

The first phase of Douglass’ Newspaper was still under the name, the North Star Newspaper, and began in 1847. This phase of the newspaper focused more on slavery’s effects on elements of society such as education or politics. Articles surrounding the Wilmot Proviso or The Fugitive Slave Act were written during this time. To financially support it, Douglas went on a speaking tour in Europe where he met British abolitionist Julia Griffiths who helped with funding as well. 

In 1851, for financial reasons, the North Star Newspaper merged with the Liberty Party Paper and created Frederick Douglass’ Paper. In this second phase of the newspaper, Douglass wrote largely about the Civil War as it was a significant event in his lifetime and American History. He also introduced a monthly that reinforced the strong ideals and messages mentioned in the weekly edition of his newspaper.  

At this time in Douglass’ life, he became established as a political abolitionist. Encouraged by his wealthy colleague, Gerrit Smith, who also financially supported Douglass’ newspaper, Douglass began

to publicly express his ideas on how American society could move forward structurally post slavery. He would largely pull from and analyze the U.S. Constitution and Christian Doctrine to form his ideals and future visions of society. Those ideas were incorporated into Douglass’ last phase of his newspaper called the New National Era.  

Introduced in Washington D.C. in 1870, the New National Era newspaper culminated Douglass’ news reporting journey. As the Civil War came to an end, America had to undergo reconstruction and faced other social and political issues. All of these events were fuel for Douglass to write about and share his opinions on with the masses. Specifically, groups like the KKK and labor unions made their way into articles in the New National Era newspaper. In the end, as Douglass’ name grew, his time for his newspaper dwindled and he gave it over to his sons. 

Ultimately, as an African American in the growing US at a time of great racial disparity, Frederick Douglass used his writing to inform, inspire, and empower the black community as well as other U.S. citizens. Instead of solely pointing out the problems in society, the North Star, along with the other forms of his newspapers, encouraged a sophisticated change in order to better the lives of African Americans for the future.