The North Star Printing Press

The layout of The North Star  stayed the same over the course of its publication.  The first page of The North Star focused on current abolition events, while pages two and three consisted of editorials, letters from readers, poetry, articles, and book reviews. The fourth and final page was left for advertisements (Britannica) . I think it is extremely interesting to observe the difference between this set newspaper articles which were published in a time period ranging from 1848 to 1854. The first newspaper in this collection (Figure 1) was originally published on June 12, 1848. The second (Figure 2) was published on February 22, 1850. An obvious difference can be seen in the composition of the title of this newspaper. The copy from 1848 states the title simply in capital letters at the top of the page. Meanwhile, the copy from 1850 includes a more illustrative and interesting title design. The words “North” and “Star” can be seen inside banners of sorts, and are centering a ...

  Free Black people were a crucial audience for anti slavery presses. This was especially true for The North Star , which Douglass created with his idea of educating Black people in mind. The printing of Black newspapers like this spans the Antebellum Period in America, mainly beginning in the late 1820s and continuing through the Civil War. There was tension within the abolitionist newspaper community since some white authors such as Douglass’ ex-mentor, William Lloyd Garrison, believed that the Black-run newspapers were reducing the readership of established journals. Many of these white authors did not recognize the importance of also sharing anti slavery sentiments from a Black perspective (Shortell , 83). Interestingly enough, part of what made Black papers, such as The North Star , so effective was the fact that their Black authors were able to share first-hand experiences in a way that not only brought to light the atrocities of slavery, but also empowered other Black people...

Born into slavery in 1818, Frederick Douglass grew up to be one of the most famous and articulate free Black spokespersons during the Antebellum period. After a childhood separated from his mother, Douglass escaped slavery and fought tirelessly for emancipation and full citizenship for African Americans ("Frederick Douglass Newspapers") . During his adult life, Douglass moved his family from Lynn, Massachusetts to Rochester, New York. At the time, Rochester was a vibrant city located on the Erie Canal. Additionally, Rochester was one of the final stops of the Underground Railroad before enslaved people could find safety in Canada. Douglass was originally mentored by abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. Garrison’s newspaper, called The Liberator , was a weekly abolitionist paper published in Boston. The North Star was originally co-edited by Martin Delany, another Black abolitionist who also served as a journalist, military officer, and physician ("Frederick Douglass Ne...

  Beginning in 1847, The North Star was published during a time of extreme turmoil in American history: the Antebellum Period. The country was facing tensions at the hands of slavery: the South stayed steadfast in this practice, while ideas of abolition were spreading in the North. These anti slavery ideas were gaining traction as northern states began passing laws which encouraged emancipation and discouraged slave catcher operations. Additionally, in 1848, the first women’s convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. Many of the well-known women’s rights activists present at this convention, such as Susan B. Anthony and Amy Post, were also outspoken opponents and critics of slavery.  In 1827, New York had become the first state to pass a law completely banning the practice of slavery. Thus, New York was a central player on the American stage of abolitionist movements. Many important groups committed to furthering the abolitionist and women’s rights causes were headquarte...

During my research, I struggled to find specific information about the exact printing press used for The North Star . However, there was an abundance of information about printing practices in America in the 19th century. In the 1800s, the technology used for printing was advancing, most notably in the change from a wooden press to a cast iron press. These changes were created for the purpose of increasing the speed of printing. One of the main things to note is the different scales of printing: there were large newspaper companies and smaller presses, such as small country newspapers and abolitionist papers. These smaller presses often used iron hand presses, which offered the benefits of being sturdier, easier to clean, and less susceptible to damage than their wooden counterparts. To use these presses, small pieces were laid out to assemble a page that would be inked and transferred onto paper. Because of this, the printing process was extremely slow. It often took between three and...

The impact of abolitionist newspapers such as The North Star is clear. Anti slavery newspapers written and edited by Black abolitionists played a crucial role in leading America’s crusade against slavery. These articles helped inform the public about the inhumanity of slavery from the first-hand experiences of their authors. These papers also helped change the northern states’ public opinion about the practice of slavery.  The North Star , specifically, gave Frederick Douglass a voice to share the atrocities of his time as an enslaved person. Given his impressive writing abilities, Douglass was able to reach a broad audience and build The North Star into a well known and trusted source for Americans to stay up to date with the abolitionist movement in America. As one of the most well known abolitionist newspapers of the time, The North Star contributed to a culture of speaking against wrongdoings and listening to the voices of those who have historically been silenced.