Historic Newspapers: Search Results
Robert Smalls leads fellow slaves to freedom... The USS Planter...
NEW YORK WEEKLY TRIBUNE, May 24, 1862
* General David Hunter order
* Emancipation of slaves
* Abraham Lincoln rebuffs
* Robert Smalls - born in slavery
* Leads fellow slaves to freedom
Page 2 begins with: "Gen. Hunter Overruled". This concerns the controversial situation where Hunter pronounced slaves free in Florida, Georgia & South Carolina, previous to Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation
President Lincoln did not rescind Hunter's order because he was against emancipating the…
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER, Washington, D.C., Sept. 23, 1862
* Emancipation Proclamation
* President Abraham Lincoln
* Freedom for enslaved - slaves
* Best publication to be had (very rare)
Page 2 begins with the Emancipation Proclamation, from the city where it was issued.
The Emancipation Proclamation was a presidential proclamation that changed the federal legal status of more than 3.5 million enslaved African Americans in the designated areas of the South from slave to free. As…
THE CRISIS, Columbus, Ohio, Jan. 7, 1863
* President Abraham Lincoln
* Emancipation Proclamation
* Spiteful editorial by Democrats
A terrific issue, as the front page contains a printing of Lincoln's famous Emancipation Proclamation by which he freed the slaves in the slave-holding states, signed by him in type: Abraham Lincoln.
But the notable content is not the document but the terrific editorial which precedes it.
This being a pro-South newspaper, despite being printed in the…
NEW YORK WORLD, May 20, 1862
* General David Hunter's Emancipation order
* Abraham Lincoln rebuffs (nullifies)
* Robert Smalls & companions to be compensated
The front page begins with column heads: "PRESIDENT'S PROCLAMATION" "Gen. Hunter's Proclamation Void" "The Power of Declaring Slaves Free Belongs to the President" "An Appeal To The Border States" "Gradual Abolition of Slavery Urged" "How the Proclamation is Received".
The related text takes most of the first column, headed:…
NEW YORK TIMES, May 20, 1862
* General David Hunter's Emancipation order
* Abraham Lincoln rebuffs (nullifies)
* Robert Smalls & companions to be compensated
Page one has: "Gen. Hunter's Order Repudiated by the President" followed by: "He Pronounces it Void and of No Effect" "The Policy of the Administration Reiterated." The pronouncement is signed in type: Abraham Lincoln.
This was the controversial situation where Hunter pronounced slaves free in Florida, Georgia & South Carolina,…
HARPER'S NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE, New York, November, 1862
* President Abraham Lincoln
* Emancipation Proclamation
Near the back of the issue under "Monthly Record of Current Events" is a report on the Emancipation Proclamation. "On the 22d of September the President issued a very important proclamation. ... that he should at the next meeting of Congress again urge that pecuniary compensation be tendered to the loyal slave States should they choose to abolish slavery either gradually or…
NEW YORK TIMES, Aug. 2, 1865
* Frederick Douglass speech
* Emancipation of Southern slaves
The top of the front page has: "EMANCIPATION JUBILEE" "Great Rejoicing Among the Colored People" "20,000 Jubilants Celebrate Their Souls in Brooklyn" "Addresses of Wm. Howard Day, Fred. Douglass, and Rev. Mr. Pennington" "The Praying Pic-Nic and the Dancing Darkies" "A Great Day, No Trouble, Fun, Frolic, Music and Happiness".
This text takes one-third of the front page and 1 1/2 columns on the back page.…
THE CRISIS, Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 24, 1862
* Emancipation Proclamation
* President Abraham Lincoln
* Rare pro-Confederate publication
Given the focus of this controversial newspaper, being supportive of the Southern cause while publishing in the North, it is particularly noteworthy that this issue contains on page five the Emancipation Proclamation whereby President Lincoln would free the slaves on January 1 of the coming year.
The introductory subheads would be of no surprise as…
THE CRISIS, Columbus, Ohio, March 12, 1862
* Battle of Fort Donelson - Tennessee
* Abraham Lincoln & emancipation
* State of Deseret - Utah - Mormons
The front page begins with: "Are the Abolition, Free Negroites to Force this War into One of Emancipation?" which is a prophetic article. Also: "Sec. Chase Working Slaves on Southern Plantations". Inside has over half a page on the continued: "Reflections On The Present Crisis".
Another page is mostly taken up with: "Constitution of…
NEW YORK WEEKLY TRIBUNE, September 27, 1862
* Emancipation Proclamation
* President Abraham Lincoln
Page 2 contains the full texts of the Emancipation Proclamation, perhaps the most significant Presidential pronouncement of the entire Civil War wherein Lincoln declared all slaves free.
Headed: "A Proclamation By the President of the United States" the document begins at the bottom half of the first column and takes the top half of the second column and is signed in type by the…
HARPER'S WEEKLY, New York, October 4, 1862 Page 3 contains the complete and historically significant printing of the Emancipation Proclamation signed in type by the President: Abraham Lincoln, & headed: "The Abolition of Slavery--A Proclamation". There is also a nice page 2 editorial concerning the Emancipation Proclamation headed: "Slavery Practically Abolished" which takes 1 1/2 columns.
Also within the issue is a nice full ftpg: "General McClellan Entering Frederick, Maryland"; nice…
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PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, Sept. 29, 1862 Among the front page column heads on the Civil War are: "THE LATEST NEWS ! " "From General McClellan's Army" "The Loss in the Late Battles" "Interesting From Sharpsburg" "A Dispatch from Gen. Pope" "Expedition Down the Mississippi" "The War In Missouri" "Speech of Colonel Hamilton" "The War In Kentucky" & more.
Page 7 includes: "The President & The Chicago Delegation" "The President's Views of an Emancipation Proclamation--Why an Emancipation…
THE CRISIS, Columbus, Ohio, April 30, 1862
* Capture of New Orleans, Louisiana
* Emancipation of slaves in D.C.
Among the articles within are: "A Serious Talk with Serious Men" "Emancipation of Slaves" "...on the Bill to abolish Slavery in the District of Columbia; "War News of the Week" "Free Negroes in Ohio" "The Massacre at Lee's Mills" "Traffic In Human Flesh--A White Child Sold in the city of Rochester" "White Citizens Wrongfully Imprisoned" From Pittsburg Landing" "Confirmation…
THE CRISIS, Columbus, Ohio, Oct. 3, 1861
* President Abraham Lincoln
* General John C. Fremont
This was an anti-war newspaper that insisted slavery should not be abolished, so consequently much content has an anti-North bias.
THE NEW YORK TIMES, April 17, 1872
* Emancipation of slaves
* District of Columbia
* Slavery anniversary
The front page has one column headings: "Emancipation Proclamation" "Celebration of the Abolition of Slavery in the District of Columbia"
Other news of the day. Complete in 8 pages, nice condition.
DAILY NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER, Washington D.C., May 5, 1849 The top of page 3 has: "Emancipation In Kentucky" which has a report from the Convention of the Friends of Emancipation. This is followed by: "Late From California" which has half a column of reports concerning events related to the gold rush.
Four pages, very nice condition.
Discounted by 50% (as shown) through Thursday, September 17, 2026!
HARPER'S WEEKLY, New York, January 24, 1863 This issue contains a fine centerfold by Thomas Nast: "The Emancipation of the Negroes, January, 1863--The Past and the Future" with several vignettes. This also has an accompanying article which explains the illustration and references the famous Mr. Pierce M. Butler slave auction which took place on March 2-3, 1859 outside of Savannah, Georgia (The "Weeping Day" auction). This was the largest selling of humans in the United States -- 436 men,…
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This issue is UNAVAILABLE. Call or email us to be added to the "want list".
ALERT: Even "1st-rate" Jan. & Dec. HW's have more than typical wear/foxing, and are priced accordingly.
HARPER'S WEEKLY, New York, Jan. 4, 1902 Frontpage photo "A Memory of Emancipation Day"; Ice Hocky and Its Players; a colored print "Jan Kubelik - The Bohemian Violinist Now Touring The United States"; a page of photos of Marconi's Latest Experiments in Wireless Telegraphy; a page of photos Winners at the First annual Sow of the Ladies' Kennel Association of America; fullpage "An Eighteenth-Century Postman"; A Christmas Pilgrimage; Lord Rosebery and the Future including a fullpage photo;…
Our inventory of this issue is running low (read more).
View notice regarding the photos and Supplements!
ALERT: Even "1st-rate" Jan. & Dec. HW's have more than typical wear/foxing, and are priced accordingly.
HARPER'S WEEKLY, New York, Jan. 12, 1867 The front page is taken up with a print: "Isaac Watts and His Mother at the Prison-Gate" which has an accompanying article.
The feature of the issue is a letter to the editor headed: "Frederick Douglass" which provides some detail of a man who encountered him as a passenger on a railroad train. One portion notes: "...I became convinced that there was but one man of his color who could talk as he did, and that was Frederick Douglass...my thoughts were…
Our inventory of this issue is running low (read more).
View notice regarding the photos and Supplements!
ALERT: Even "1st-rate" Jan. & Dec. HW's have more than typical wear/foxing, and are priced accordingly.
NEW YORK TRIBUNE, Nov. 18, 1862 Among the front page column heads on the Civil War are: "Rebel Evacuation of Snicker's Gap" "Cavalry Expedition to the Shenandoah" "The Blockade of Charleston Harbor" and more.
One report: "The Proclamation--The Contrabands--White Slaves in the South" which refers to Lincoln's recent Emancipation Proclamation.
Some text includes: "...soldiers are almost universally in favor of the late proclamation...Large numbers of slaves are used about Corinth...They have…
HARPER'S WEEKLY, New York, Jan. 12, 1867 The front page is taken up with a print: "Isaac Watts and His Mother at the Prison-Gate" which has an accompanying article.
The feature of the issue is a letter to the editor headed: "Frederick Douglass" which provides some detail of a man who encountered him as a passenger on a railroad train. One portion notes: "...I became convinced that there was but one man of his color who could talk as he did, and that was Frederick Douglass...my thoughts were…
NEW YORK HERALD, Feb. 13, 1863 Among there front page column heads on the Civil War are: "News From Fortress Monroe" "The Rebel Privateers" and page 5 has: "The Missouri Slave Emancipation Bill Also Passed" "Organization of the Montana Territory" & page 8 includes: "All Able Bodied Negroes to be Drafted" "Disloyal Persons to be Sent to Dixie" and more.
Eight pages, nice condition.
HARPER'S NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE, New York, February, 1863 Towards the back of the issue under the "Monthly Record of Current Events" is content pertaining to the newly enacted Emancipation Proclamation.
Other items within the issue are "A Californian in Iceland" which includes several illustrations; "The Gun-Boat Essex" and many more articles and illustrations.
Complete in 144 pages, disbound without outer wrappers, 6 1/4 by 9 1/2 inches, binding pin holes at the blank spine, otherwise in…
THE CRISIS, Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 19, 1861 This was an anti-war newspaper that insisted slavery should not be abolished, so consequently much content has an anti-North bias.
HARPER'S WEEKLY, New York, January 17, 1863 Certainly the most historic content would be the page 2 complete printing of: "By the President of the United States of America - A Proclamation" which is the full text of the Emancipation Proclamation, signed in type by the President: Abraham Lincoln.
Half of the front page: "The Teamsters' Duel" showing two Black men with horse whips. The other half of the front page shows: "The Army of the Potomac in Hunts".
Perhaps the most notable print is a…
Our inventory of this issue is running low (read more).
View notice regarding the photos and Supplements!
ALERT: Even "1st-rate" Jan. & Dec. HW's have more than typical wear/foxing, and are priced accordingly.
HARPER'S WEEKLY, New York, January 30, 1864 The most desired & notable print is likely the full page captioned: "Emancipated Slaves, White and Colored" showing one man with a brand on his forehead.
The front page shows the: "Ruins of the Church of the Compania, at Santiago, Chili, After the Conflagration". Inside has a full page: "Snowy Morning--On Picket" showing a Civil War soldier in the cold & snow. A very nice & displayable doublepage centerfold: "Central Park In Winter" shows 11…
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ALERT: Even "1st-rate" Jan. & Dec. HW's have more than typical wear/foxing, and are priced accordingly.
NEW YORK TRIBUNE, Sept. 6, 1861 Among the inside page column heads on the Civil War are: "THE WAR FOR THE UNION" "Gov. Gamble & Gen. Fremont" "Army Appointments" "Death of A Leading Rebel" "Jeff. Davis's Death Believed in Louisville" "Condition of the Rebel Army" "Bombardment of Galveston".
Page 6 has a report concerning: "Fremont's Proclamation-- Its Reception in the North-West--New Era in the War--25,000 Slaves Declared Free..." and more. This was a very controversial proclamation by General…
Item from our most recent catalog - #370 - released for September, 2026
HARPER'S WEEKLY, New York, April 20, 1872 Full ftpg. is a print of: 'The late Samuel Morse' with a related article inside.
Other prints include a half page: 'The burial of the late Gen. Anderson at West Point Cemetery' and also: "Lincoln, The Emancipator; two-thirds page Nast print: "See, Where His
Grace Stands 'Tween Two Clergymen!"; full page print: "The New State Department Building at the National Capital"; full page Nast cartoon: "Will Robinson Crusoe (Sumner) Forsake His Man…
HARPER'S WEEKLY, New York, March 14, 1863 The full front page is a print of: "Teaching the Negro Recruits the Use of the Minie Rifle", a print showing Black soldiers.
Other nice prints within include a full page with three prints and a map: "Beulah Battery, at the Junction of Burnside and Vernon Rivers", "The Rebel Turtle Ram Just Launched at Savannah", "The Rebel Steamer 'Nashville' Lying at the Railway Bridge, on the Ogeechee River" and "Map of the Environs of Savannah".
Also a one-third…
HARPER'S WEEKLY, New York, February 21, 1863 The entire front page is a great (and rather famous) illustration of: "Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Stratton (General Tom Thumb And Wife)." taken from a Brady photograph. Page 2 has an article on them.
Other prints within include a full page: "The Effects of the Proclamation--Freed Negroes Coming Into Our Lines At New Bern, North Carolina" showing many slaves on the road as a result of Lincoln's recent Emancipation Proclamation. Also a full page with 2…
USA TODAY, November 5, 2008 This 48 page newspaper has a nice two line banner headline on the front page: "America makes history, Obama Wins! " with subheads and nice color photo of Obama with family. Much more on the inside pages in the 1st section. (see)
Nice condition.
Our post on the History's Newsstand Blog:
Regardless of your view on the recent U.S. election, one thing is for certain: Barack Obama’s victory was a very significant and historic event! If you collect historic
…
HARPER'S WEEKLY, New York, Feb. 7, 1874 The prime print in this periodical famous for its many illustrations is the full page captioned: "Station House Lodgers" done by the famed artist Winslow Homer. There is a related article on the facing page.
Other prints within this issue are the full ftpg. political cartoon by Thomas Nast captioned: "The Emancipator of Labor & the Honest Working People", a 3/4 pg. of: "Drilling Monks in a Monastery", half pg: "Secret Societies at Yale College", a…
NEW YORK TIMES, June 21, 1866
* Very 1st Juneteenth anniversary observed
* Jubilee - Emancipation - Freedom Day
* Galveston, Texas celebration
Period reports of the first "Juneteenth" event on June 19, 1865, when Union troops entered Galveston, Texas and announced to more than 250,000 enslaved blacks that they were free, are almost impossible to find.
However, we did discover a somewhat oblique mention of the first anniversary of what was then known in Texas as "Jubilee Day", which would be…
NEW YORK TRIBUNE, Aug. 25, 1862
* Famous Abraham Lincoln letter
* "A Prayer of Twenty Millions" reply
* Tribune publisher Horace Greeley
On page 4 is one of the more famous letters from Abraham Lincoln, being his reply to Horace Greeley's editorial of August 20, "A Prayer of Twenty Millions", which urged emancipation.
Lincoln replies in his letter with his famous quote: "My paramount object...is to save the Union, and it is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union…
NEW YORK TRIBUNE, July 19, 1862
* Abraham Lincoln appeal to border states
* Pleads for emancipation of slaves - slavery
The back page begins with a very notable address by President Lincoln headed: "The President's Appeal To The Border States".
EMANCIPATOR, Boston, Aug. 12, 1846 A newspaper focused on emancipation: the freedom for slaves. Articles include: "Another Suicide by a Slave" "Results of Emancipation" "Law vs. Philanthropy" "The Great N.W. Liberty Convention" "Texas" and much more.
Four pages, good condition.
* Georgia Emancipation
* Slaves and Masters
The front page has: "Georgia: Address of Provisional Governor Johnson, His Views On Emancipation." which takes over a full column. Other reports inside include: "VIRGINIA", "Governor Pierpoint and the Negroes", "Their Late Rebel Masters Trying to Get Rid of Them" "The Assassins" "Efforts Made to Discredit Weichman's Testimony in the Assassination Trial" and much more.
Eight pages, some wear at margins,
THE CRISIS, Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 25, 1863 Described as "The Hottest Rebel Sheet to be found in the North or the South", this newspaper opposed the war and attracted the hatred of the Republicans and the Lincoln administration. It insisted that slavery could not be prohibited by law. So obnoxious was this paper to Unionists that it was denied circulation in some cities. In 1863 the press was raided by a hateful mob.
Among the various articles are: "The Poor Negro" "The Law Compelling the…
NEW YORK DAILY TRIBUNE, August 26, 1865
* Horace Greeley letter - his opinion of African Americans
* Andersonville prison trial... Henry Wirz
The most historically significant content is the intriguing letter on page 4: "A Letter To the Hon. A. O. P. Nicholson", signed in type: H. G., for Horace Greeley.
Following the end of the Civil War, this discussion addressed the physical, intellectual, and emotional condition of African Americans now that they were free. The exchange with Nicholson, often…
THE LIBERATOR, Boston, 1861-65 (first rate) See the photo below for the terrific masthead of this famous anti-slavery title. The ornate woodcut in the masthead features three scenes: a slave auction, an image of Jesus breaking the bonds of the oppressors, and a family about to depart for their journey to emancipation. Much of the content concerns slavery and the anti-slavery movement. Edited by the famed emancipator, William Lloyd Garrison.
A full-size, 4 page newspaper.
THE ANTI-SLAVERY BUGLE, Salem, Ohio, May 11, 1850
* Rare Anti Slavery publication - slaves
* Emancipation of the enslaved - abolition
* Over 10 years prior to the Civil War
The motto printed in the masthead reads: "No Union With Slaveholders", which sets the tone for the newspaper's theme. This is one of the less common anti-slavery newspapers we have encountered.
This issue has a wealth of fine, anti-slavery-themed articles including: "Colored Children Entitled to the Benefits of…
THE LIBERATOR, Boston, MA 1861-65 (with minor water-staining or other minor imperfections which make them somewhat 2nd-rate)
* Ornate masthead
* Anti-Slavery Title
* edited by William Lloyd Garrison
See the photo below for the terrific masthead of this famous anti-slavery title. The ornate woodcut in the masthead features three scenes: a slave auction, an image of Jesus breaking the bonds of the oppressors, and a family about to depart for their journey to emancipation. Much of the…
THE FREE SOUTH, Beaufort, South Carolina, Jan. 10, 1863
* Rare Union occupation publication
On November 7, 1861, the Union Navy seized control of Port Royal Harbor in South Carolina, securing a beachhead for a new kind of journalism--the occupation newspaper. Whereas many of the homegrown South Carolina newspapers defended secession and championed the military victories of the Confederate States Army, the Republican newspapers that sprang up in Beaufort County aimed to bolster the…
EMANCIPATOR & WEEKLY CHRONICLE, Boston, Dec. 11, 1844
* Rare anti-slavery publication
* Abolition movement - free slaves
One of the less common anti-slavery newspapers with content as you might suspect.
This abolitionist newspaper was first published in New York City and by this time in Boston. It was founded as the official newspaper of the American Anti-Slavery Society, and from 1840 to 1850 it was published by the Liberty Party.
The Liberty Party was an early advocate of the…
THE ANTI-SLAVERY BUGLE, Salem, Ohio, April 27, 1850
* Rare Anti Slavery publication - slaves
* Emancipation of the enslaved - abolition
* Over 10 years prior to the Civil War
The motto printed in the masthead reads: "No Union With Slaveholders", which sets the tone for the newspaper's theme. This is one of the less common anti-slavery newspapers we have encountered.
This issue has a wealth of fine, anti-slavery-themed articles including a poem: "To Slaveholders & Their Allies" by John. G.…
BOSTON DAILY ADVERTISER, Nov. 12, 1863
* Second Battle of Rappahannock Station
* George G. Meade vs. Robert E. Lee
* Abraham Lincoln letter re. emancipation
The top of the ftpg. has column heads on the Union victory at the Battle of the Rappahannock: "From Gen. Meade's Army" "Official Report of the Passage of the Rappahannock" "Presentation of Battle Flags to General Meade" which includes: "A Congratulatory Order" signed in type: Major-Gen. Meade.
Page 2 has a letter from Lincoln…
NEW YORK WORLD, Feb. 12, 1862 The front page has: "Important Resolutions Of Senator Sumner", which is followed by the full text of his historic series of resolutions outlining what quickly became known as his radical "State Suicide Theory."
Alongside this landmark constitutional argument, the issue features ongoing reports and official dispatches from the front lines of the American Civil War which help to provide context. The front page column heads on the Civil War are: "The War In
Item from last month's catalog - #369 - released for August, 2026
FREDERICK DOUGLASS' PAPER, Rochester, New York, Sept. 8, 1854
* Extremely rare publication
We are pleased to offer this exceedingly rare--and highly desirable--newspaper by the famed Frederick Douglass. This weekly title is the continuation of his newspaper "North Star" which began in 1847.
Among the articles: "The Results of Emancipation" "The Fugitive Slave Act--Proposition For Its Repeal" "What Becomes of the Free Colored People" "Colored Emigration Convention" "Aid To Fugitives"…
WESTERN SENTINEL, Winston, North Carolina, January 23, 1863 This is a very rare title from the Confederacy. According to Brigham only four institutions in the United States have any holdings of this title from the Civil War, most just a few scattered issues. The American Antiquarian Society has no issues recorded from this era.
The front page includes some items relating to the Civil War including articles headed: "Serenade of Hon. Mr. Vallandingham" "Bold Talk in the Northwest" "Lincoln…
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