Research Guides: Civil Rights Movement: News & Media

What can I find in newspapers?

With few exceptions, most newspapers are written for a local audience. Consider exploring the coverage of important civil rights events through the lens of both local and national papers. Furthermore, newspapers of the mid-twentieth century imagined their readers as white, middle-class Americans. As a result, many African-American communities published their own papers, covering issues that might be ignored by the white establishment.

African-American Newspapers

African American Newspapers, 1827–1998
Features 280 newspapers from 35 states, including many rare and historically significant 19th-century titles published for or by African Americans.

Abbreviation: afamnp
Vendor: NewsBank
Coverage: 1827–1998
Subjects: African-American Studies, Communication, History
Type: Historical / Primary Sources, Newspapers and Newswires
Chicago Defender
Chicago Defender is a Historical Black Newspaper available via ProQuest's Historical Black Newspapers collection. Titles from this collection provide cultural perspective and insight to the events that shaped the United States, including the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., the Vietnam War, and the Civil Rights Movement. Covering everything from major events to everyday life, these titles are invaluable research tools for studying American history and African-American culture, history, politics, and art.

Abbreviation: chdef
Vendor: ProQuest
Coverage: 1910–2010
Subjects: African-American Studies, History
Type: Historical / Primary Sources, Newspapers and Newswires

Guide to Historical African American Newspapers Available Online
An amazing guide to historical African American Newspapers available online as part of digitization projects at libraries and historical societies as well as digitization projects done by Google.
Newspapers are organized both alphabetically by title, and by geographic region.

The following are a selection of historical African-American newspapers available on microfilm at FSU Libraries.

Florida Star, 1960-1974
Location: Film NP 464
Northeast Florida's largest and oldest African American-owned newspaper.

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Current issues online.
Miami Times, 1948-1994
Location: Film NP 463
South Florida’s oldest and largest Black newspaper
73 microfilm reels

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Current issues online.
Chicago Defender, 1909-1973
Location: Film NP 458, Weekly edition, 1909-1966
Film NP 451, Chicago Daily Defender, 1956-1973
Film NP 452, Chicago Defender daily edition, 1973-1987
Cleveland Call & Post, 1934-1986
Location: Film NP 432
Guide: Index to Black newspapers, Micr Z6944.N39 I38
By the 1930s, the Call & Post had established itself as the most influential voice for African Americans in all metropolitan regions throughout Ohio.

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Current issues online.
Dallas Star Post and Dallas Post-Tribune, 1959-1986
Location: Film NP 444
Guide: Index to Black newspapers, Micr Z 6944 .N39 I38
An award winning weekly newspaper serving the Dallas area for half a century.

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Current issues online.

Microfilmed African American Newspapers at FSU

Afro-American
American Citizen
Atchison Blade
Atlanta Daily World
Birmingham World
Call and Post (Cleveland)
Call and Post (Columbus)
Chicago Crusader
Chicago Daily Defender
Chicago Defender (City Edition)
Chicago Defender (Weekend Edition)
Cleveland Gazette
The Crisis
Dallas Post Tribune
Florida Star
Forward Times
Freedom's Journal
The Freeman (Indianapolis)
The Freeman (New York)
Gary Crusader
Indiana Herald
Inter-State Tattler
Journal and Guide
Kansas City Call
Los Angeles Sentinel
Louisville Defender
Miami Times
Michigan Chronicle
Milwaukee Courier
Muhammad Speaks
Muslim Journal
National Anti-Slavery Standard
Negro Liberator
New York Amsterdam News
Philadelphia Tribune
Savannah Tribune
St. Louis Argus
State Ledger
Wichita Searchlight

Afro-American (Afro-American Ledger)
Printed in: Baltimore, Maryland
Dates available: Apr 1893-1986
Location in Strozier: Film NP 426

American Citizen
Printed in: Kansas City, Kansas
Dates available: July 1889-Aug 1907
Location in Strozier: Film NP 74

Atchison Blade
Printed in: Atchison, Kansas
Dates available: July 1892-Jan 1894
Location in Strozier: Film NP 72

Atlanta Daily World
Printed in: Atlanta, Georgia
Dates available: Dec 1931-June 1964, Jan-Mar 1968, 1970-1986
Location in Strozier: Film NP 427

Birmingham World
Printed in: Birmingham, Alabama
Dates available:1945-1985
Location in Strozier: Film NP431

Call and Post
Printed in:Cleveland, Ohio
Dates available: Aug. 1982-Dec. 1986
Location in Strozier:Film NP 432

Call and Post
Printed in: Columbus, Ohio
Dates available: 1972-1990, 1992-1995
Location in Strozier: Film NP 403

Chicago Crusader (The New Crusader)
Printed in: Chicago, Illinois
Dates available: 1962-1986
Location in Strozier: Film NP 442

Chicago Daily Defender
Printed in: Chicago, Illinois
Dates available: Feb 1956-Dec 1987
Location in Strozier: Film NP 452

Chicago Defender (City Edition)
Printed in: Chicago, Illinois
Dates available: 1909-1966
Location in Strozier: Film NP458

Chicago Defender (Weekend Edition)
Printed in: Chicago, Illinois
Dates available: April 1921-Dec. 1987
Location in Strozier: Film NP451

Cleveland Gazette
Printed in: Cleveland, Ohio
Dates available: Aug. 1883-May 1945
Location in Strozier: Film NP465

The Crisis
Printed in: New York, New York
Dates available: 1976-1996
Location in Strozier: Film PR 720

Dallas Post Tribune (Dallas Star Post)
Printed in: Dallas, Texas
Dates available: Jan. 1959-1986
Location in Strozier: Film NP444

Florida Star
Printed in: Jacksonville, Florida
Dates available: Jan. 1960-Dec. 1974 (some issues missing)
Location in Strozier: Film NP464

Forward Times
Printed in: Houston, Texas
Dates available: Jan. 1960-1983
Location in Strozier:Film NP 433

Freedom's Journal
Printed in: New York, New York
Dates available: 1827-1829
Location in Strozier: Film PR406

The Freeman
Printed in: Indianapolis, Indiana
Dates available: Dec. 1886, July 1888-Dec 1916
Location in Strozier: Film NP 272

The Freeman
Printed in: New York, New York
Dates available: Nov-Dec 1884
Location in Strozier: Film NP 327

Gary Crusader
Printed in: Gary, Indiana
Dates available: 1964-1986
Location in Strozier: Film NP434

Indiana Herald (Hoosier Herald, Indianapolis Herald-Times, Indiana Herald-Times)
Printed in: Indianapolis, Indiana
Dates available: 1953-57 (scattered issues) Nov. 1957-1981
Location in Strozier: Film NP 435

Inter-State Tattler
Printed in: New York, New York
Dates available: Feb. 1925-June 1932
Location in Strozier: Film PR463

Journal and Guide
Printed in: Norfolk, Virginia
Dates available: Sept. 1916-1985
Location in Strozier: Film NP 436

Kansas City Call
Printed in: Kansas City, Missouri
Dates available: Oct. 1954-1984
Location in Strozier: Film NP437

Los Angeles Sentinel
Printed in: Los Angeles, California
Dates available: 1969-June 1986, Jan.-June 1987
Location in Strozier: Film NP438

Louisville Defender
Printed in: Louisville, Kentucky
Dates available: 1951-1986
Location in Strozier: Film NP439

Miami Times
Printed in: Miami, Florida
Dates available: Oct. 1948-June 1994 (some issues missing)
Location in Strozier: Film NP 463

Michigan Chronicle
Printed in: Detroit, Michigan
Dates available: Feb. 1943-Dec. 1986
Location in Strozier: Film NP440

Milwaukee Courier
Printed in: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Dates available: Sept. 1984-Dec. 1986
Location in Strozier: Film NP441

Muhammad Speaks
Printed in:Chicago, Illinois
Dates available:1961-October 1975
Location in Strozier: Film NP 429

Muslim Journal (A.M News, Bilalian News, World Muslim News)
Printed in:Chicago, Illinois
Dates available: 1981-1986
Location in Strozier:Film NP430

National Anti-Slavery Standard
Printed in: New York, New York
Dates available: June 1840-April 1870, July 1870-Dec. 1871
Location in Strozier: Film PR405

Negro Liberator (Harlem Liberator)
Printed in: New York, New York
Dates available: April 1933-Nov. 1935
Location in Strozier: Film PR 409

New York Amsterdam News
Printed in: New York, New York
Dates available: 1962-1986
Location in Strozier: Film NP 428

Philadelphia Tribune
Printed in: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dates available: 1912-1986
Location in Strozier: Film NP443

Savannah Tribune (Colored Tribune)
Printed in: Savannah, Georgia
Dates available: Dec 1875-Dec 1876, Jan-Dec 1889, Dec 1891-Dec 1892
Location in Strozier: Film NP 19

St. Louis Argus
Printed in: St. Louis, Missouri
Dates available: Oct. 1954-Dec. 1985 (scattered issues)
Location in Strozier: Film NP445

State Ledger (Kansas State Ledger)
Printed in: Topeka, Kansas
Dates available: July 1892-June 1906
Location in Strozier: Film NP 70

Wichita Searchlight
Printed in: Pittsburg, Kansas
Dates available: June 1900-Oct 1912
Location in Strozier: Film NP 71

"Mainstream" Historical Newspapers

Atlanta Constitution (Historical)
Full page and article images with searchable full text
The collection includes digital reproductions providing access to every page from every available issue.

Abbreviation: atlc
Vendor: ProQuest
Coverage: 1868–1985
Subjects: History
Type: Historical / Primary Sources, Newspapers and Newswires
Los Angeles Times (Historical)
Provides comprehensive coverage for Southern California's largest daily newspaper. Provides full text and full image articles with digital reproductions of every page, every article and every issue in PDF format.

Abbreviation: lath
Vendor: ProQuest
Coverage: 1881–2001
Subjects: History
Type: Historical / Primary Sources, Newspapers and Newswires
New York Times (Historical)
Offers full-page-images and article images from the New York Times newspaper from its first issue in 1851.

Abbreviation: nythist
Vendor: ProQuest
Coverage: 1850–Current - 3 years
Subjects: History
Type: Historical / Primary Sources, Newspapers and Newswires

New York Public Library Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Schomburg Clipping File
Location: Mif 1392, 9,673 microfiche.
Guide: Micr E185.S372 1986
A periodical and newspaper clipping file, this unique collection also includes typescripts, broadsides, pamphlets, programs, book reviews, menus and various other short publications dealing with black history and culture.

Personal Papers

Davis Houck Papers, 1955-2006
Call Number: Special Collections, Strozier Library, 01/MSS 2015-007

News clippings, photographs, creative and scholarly works, and government records collected by Davis Houck during research on the role of the press in the American civil rights movement, with special emphasis on the 1955 murder of Emmett Till near Money, Mississippi.