Frederick Douglass' The North Star

    Frederick Douglass is one of the most well-known abolitionists in American history. Douglass himself escaped slavery and used his freedom to help free slaves and bring an end to slavery altogether. Just one example of how he helped end slavery and the slaves was his newspaper, “The North Star.” Douglass got the funds to start the newspaper by going on tour in Britain. He started the newspaper in Rochester, NY which is one of the last stops in the underground railroad before Canada. The name “The North Star” comes from the star Polaris, which is what slaves followed to escape slavery. The name has a literal and metaphorical meaning, it is the literal northernmost spot to freedom in the underground railroad and the newspaper’s writings were to help give freedom to the slaves and to help start abolitionist movements. The North Star was read by more than 4,000 readers in America and many other countries. One of the first editions stated, "To millions, now in our boasted land of liberty, it is the STAR OF HOPE." This quote reiterates the message of the name of the newspaper and the motive of the newspaper. He emphasizes the fact that the country was built on the idea of liberty and that this newspaper is to help bring that liberty to the slaves. 

    The North Star soon merged with The Liberty Party Paper to form “The Frederick Douglass’ Paper.” In the first edition, they stated, “Much joy is expressed that you have settled down upon the anti-slavery interpretation of the federal Constitution." This quote explains the incentive of the newspaper. This quote explains that they have far different views than another anti-slavery paper, The Liberator, and different views than the Anti-slavery society. “The Frederick Douglass’ Paper” actually accepted the constitution to support anti-slavery while “The Liberator” and the “Anti-Slavery Society” did not. Douglass started this paper as a weekly paper but it turned into a monthly paper during the Civil War. During that time, Douglass used the paper to help gain the acceptance of black troops and to help recruit for the war.

    Frederick Douglass soon stepped back from “The Frederick Douglass’ Paper” and became editor and renamed a paper “The New National Era.” This paper gave Douglass the platform to chastise the Ku Klux Klan. The paper also focused on topics such as reconstruction, Republican politics, and it addressed issues within the black communities. Douglass soon bought the company to help the paper keep going and gave the company to his two sons to carry it on. 

Information on “The North Star” was very hard to find because while Frederick Douglass was living in Washington, D.C., his house burned down. In this fire, all of the family members survived but a lot of Fredericks's belongings were destroyed. This included sixteen volumes of “The North Star.” 

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "The North Star". Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Nov. 2016, https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-North-Star-American-newspaper. Accessed 17 February 2022.

“New National Era.” New National Era | New York Heritage, nyheritage.org/collections/new-national-era.

“The North Star.” The North Star (Educational Materials: African American Odyssey), www.loc.gov/exhibits/odyssey/educate/norths.html.