The True Southerner Explained

The True Southerner was a weekly newspaper published during the Reconstruction era after the American Civil War in Hampton, Virginia and then Norfolk, Virginia.[1] It advocated for the rights of African Americans and was the first African-American newspaper published in Virginia. Founded in 1865, the paper was moved to Norfolk early the next year, where Joseph T. Wilson served as its editor. The paper's offices and press were destroyed by a white mob in early 1866, and it ceased publication shortly thereafter.

History

The True Southerner was the first African-American newspaper published in Virginia upon its foundation in March or November 1865, in Hampton, Virginia, by D. B. White.[2] [3] [4] The first issue was published November 24, 1865. Publication continued until mid-April 1866.[5] [6] The paper was not initially financially successful. It was sponsored by the Union League and in Hampton vocally criticized a white mob that seriously injured several Black people.[7] Civil War veteran Joseph T. Wilson became its editor in early 1866, and may have taken over the paper; sources conflict over whether Wilson or White led its move to Norfolk, Virginia, in February 1866, seeking a market where the paper might be more financially successful.

The paper defended Calvin Pepper,[8] a lawyer representing the Loyal League of Virginia.[9] It also published a column by "Anna" titled "To the Freed Women" about the status of women, particularly women of color, and inequalities. As editor, Wilson vocally criticized Andrew Johnson's decision to veto creation of the Freedmen's Bureau and the Civil Rights Act of 1866. He also used the paper to advocate for giving Black men the right to vote. These actions angered some living in Norfolk, and just two months after the move the paper's press was destroyed by a mob. This was just one of many such attacks around the nation during the Reconstruction era.

The Library of Virginia has issues of the paper on microfilm and online.[10]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The true Southerner. University of Florida Digital Collections.
  2. Book: Parramore. Thomas C.. Norfolk: The First Four Centuries. Stewart. Peter C.. Bogger. Tommy L.. 2000-01-29. University of Virginia Press. 978-0-8139-1988-1. 227. en.
  3. Book: Abbott, Richard H.. For Free Press and Equal Rights: Republican Newspapers in the Reconstruction South. 2004. University of Georgia Press. 978-0-8203-2527-9. 35. en.
  4. Book: Pride. Armistead Scott. A History of the Black Press. Choat. Malcolm. Wilson. Clint C.. 1997. Howard University Press. 978-0-88258-192-7. 79. en.
  5. Web site: The True Southerner (Hampton, Va.) 1865-1866. Library of Congress.
  6. Book: Engs, Robert Francis. Freedom's first generation : Black Hampton, Virginia, 1861-1890. 1979. [Philadelphia] : University of Pennsylvania Press. Internet Archive. 978-0-8122-7768-5. 93–94.
  7. Book: Alexander, Adele Logan. Homelands and Waterways: The American Journey of the Bond Family, 1846-1926. 2007-12-18. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. 978-0-307-42625-3. 161–163. en.
  8. Book: Williams, Emily. Stories in Stone: Memorialization, the Creation of History and the Role of Preservation. October 6, 2020. Vernon Press. 9781648890550. 39. Google Books.
  9. Book: Reconstruction, United States Congress Joint Committee on. Report of the Joint Committee on Reconstruction, at the First Session, Thirty-ninth Congress. June 26, 1866. U.S. Government Printing Office. 9780837123554. Google Books.
  10. Web site: True Southerner 18 January 1866 — Virginia Chronicle: Digital Newspaper Archive. virginiachronicle.com.