| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Owner | Phillip Bell Samuel Cornish Charles Bennett Ray |
| Publisher | Charles Bennett Ray |
| Founded | 1837 |
| Language | English |
| Ceased publication | 1842 |
| Headquarters | New York City |
| OCLC number | 9858717 |
The Colored American was a name used by two 19th century weekly African-American newspapers: one that was published in New York City from 1836 to 1842 by Samuel Cornish, Phillip Bell, and Charles Bennett Ray, and one that was published in Washington, D.C. from 1893 to 1904. by Edward Elder Cooper.[1]
Contents |
Initially published under the name, "The Weekly Advocate,"[2] New York's Colored American was a weekly running newspaper whose length was four to six pages. It circulated in free black communities up and down the northern seaboard.
The main focus of this newspaper was set on the moral, social, and political elevation of the free colored people as well as the peaceful emancipation of slaves. That is why The Colored American had various subscribers. Due to the employment of agents in various cities, as well as abolitionists for their marketing needs, the subscribers were widely spread. Since the newspaper's primary readers were black and hard pressed for cash, they also received help from African-American churches and local abolition societies by way of fund drives and donations. Occasionally, the newspaper received cash infusions from prominent white allies. All of the donations, fund drives and supplements helped the paper to publish 38 articles and survive through 1841. Thanks to the subscribers, the interesting articles and the extra funding sources, The Colored American became an important paper of its time.