Black History Month… looking back…

February 22, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

Slavery. The word itself stirs intense emotions for nearly all who hear it… even for those who have not been directly confronted with the institution. For some it brings feelings of guilt… “How could my forefathers have engaged in such activity?” For others it brings feelings of oppression… anger… and more.  While many people groups have been subjected to this burdensome yoke of man through time, for Americans, none is quite as impacting as the enslavement of African Americans. In honor of Black History Month, Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers has created a Pinterest Board which takes a look back at a time in U.S. history when slavery was alive and (not so) well:

Pinterest… Slave Ads & Related Woodcuts Prints

Additionally, we’ve arranged our available authentic newspapers related to Black Americana in chronological order (recent first) to provide a snapshot into the past for those interest in reviewing how slavery in general, and Black History more specifically, has been depicted in newspapers over the past few centuries. They may be viewed at:

African-American / Black Americana / Slavery…

The Traveler… USS Constitution defeats HMS Java… River Raisin…

February 18, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

This week I traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by way of the Aurora dated February 19, 1813. Here I found the report of “Another Naval Victory!” being reported “… On the 29th of December, off St. Salvadore, the Constitution, capt. Bainbridge, fell in with the British frigate Java, of 38 guns (mounting 49) and 400 men. After an action of one hour and forty-five minutes, the Java struck, with the loss of 60 killed and 170 wounded. The Constitution had 9 killed and 25 wounded… The Java was so much damaged in action, that it was deemed impossible to fetch her in, and by order of captain Bainbridge she was burnt…”.

Also in this issue was the report of the battle at river Raisin, including the killing (scalping) of General Winchester and the further mutilation of his body. It is so hard to imagine what they went through in those battles. So much for nostalgia.

~The Traveler

Additional kudos for, “Reporting the Revolutionary War”…

February 15, 2013 by · 2 Comments 

Additional recognition has been received forReporting the Revolutionary War“, by Todd Andrlik:
“Best American Revolution Book of 2012”
(February 5, 2013) NAPERVILLE, IL—Reporting the Revolutionary War claimed victory—as the best book of 2012 on the American Revolution!

Reporting the Revolutionary War: Before It Was History, It Was News
(ISBN: 9781402269677; November 1, 2012; $39.99 U.S.; History; Hard Cover) by Todd Andrlik is being awarded the annual prize of best American Revolution book by The New York Revolutionary War Round Table.
This great honor puts Andrlik in the prestigious company of previous winners, including Maya Jasanoff, professor of history at Harvard’s Center for European Studies, for her book, Liberty’s Exiles: American Loyalists in the Revolutionary World; Benjamin L. Carp, professor of history at Tufts University, for Defiance of the Patriots: The Boston Tea Party and the Making of America; Mary Beth Norton of Cornell University; Charles Bracelen Flood; and Thomas Fleming.
“I’m grateful to the New York Revolutionary War Round Table and thrilled to join such an impressive list of past recipients,” said Andrlik. “I had the privilege of speaking at the Round Table in December and learned from its members just how much this book transcends normal history circles, appealing to both amateur and professional historians as well as casual history enthusiasts.”
The New York Revolutionary War Round Table was founded in 1958 and is now in its fifty-fifth year. It meets five times a year to hear a talk by an author of a new book on the Revolutionary War.
“Seldom, if ever, have we welcomed a book with more power to carry us back to the days of 1776 with such compelling authenticity,” said The New York Revolutionary War Round Table in its February 2013 newsletter announcing the honor
By the way, this Best American Revolution Book of 2012 comes on the heels of Barnes & Noble naming it one of the Best Books of 2012. Good stuff.
To read more, go to:  Award: Reporting the Revolutionary War
Congratulations Todd… we’re very proud of your accomplishment!

Guy
Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers… History’s Newsstand

A gem in the American Antiquarian Society… “The Royal Danish American Gazette”…

February 11, 2013 by · 3 Comments 

In celebration of its 20oth anniversary the American Antiquarian Society published a beautiful  exhibition catalog titled “In Pursuit Of A Vision – Two Centuries of Collecting at the American Antiquarian Society”. Featured are a fascinating array of books, documents, maps & other paper ephemera, as well as several very rare & unusual newspapers we felt worthy of sharing with our collectors (with permission from the A.A.S.).

104. “The Royal Danish American Gazette“, Christiansted, St. Croix, September 11, 1776

The Waldo Lincoln collection of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century West Indian newspapers numbers several thousand issues — many being the only known copies — and is one of the most important to be found anywhere.

The Royal Danish American Gazette was the first newspaper published in what is now the Virgin Islands. It was founded in 1770, when publisher Daniel Thibou relocated from St. Kitts to establish the first press on St. Croix. Portions were printed in Danish for the benefit of St. Croix’s sizable Danish population. We know that it had a fairly wide circulation, for a number of its articles were reprinted in contemporary American newspapers. Scholars have recently taken renewed interest in the significance of the West indies for early American history; but given the tropical climate, relatively few primary sources survive in West Indian libraries.

News worthy of the headline… Which would you choose?

February 8, 2013 by · 1 Comment 

Selecting the news for a newspaper’s headline must be quite challenging at times, especially when there are multiple significant events clamoring for top billing. We recently came across a Leominster Daily Enterprise, MA, April 16, 1947, which had 5 noteworthy events to choose from:

*  Execution of Rudolf Hoess, Nazi commandant of Auschwitz… oversaw massacre of 2,000,000 Jews

*  Milton Reynolds breaks Howard Hughes around-the-world aviation record in his “Bombshell”

* Jackie Robinson breaks racial barrier… 1st regular season MLB game played by an African American

* Texas City disaster (350 killed)

* Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten (from Greece) become engaged, with photo

Which do you think grabbed the headline back in 1947?To find out if you made the right choice, go to:

1947 Headline

(see the 4th image)

What if the same events occurred today?  Would the editors make the same choice for tomorrow’s headline? We’d love to know your thoughts… and reasons.

The Traveler… finally ratified… income tax a reality…

February 4, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

Today I traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah, by the way of the Deseret Semi-Weekly News, February 3, 1913. There I found that on this very same date, the Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution had just been ratified by the voted received from the Wyoming legislature. This amendment now established Income Tax as a provision of the Constitution.

This passing, which required a three-quarter of the Union approval, took a long time to occur as Alabama was the first state to ratify the amendment and that was on August 10, 1909!

Now with this information, enjoy your remaining seventy (70) days of the tax season. April 15th will be here before we all know it!

~The Traveler

“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy…”

– Alexander Tytler 1787 (disputed origin)

A shocking cure for what ails you…

February 1, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

Here’s an interesting medical devise which never seemed to catch on, as reported in the Scientific American” issue of March 14, 1891. I wonder how many investors in this product were shocked when this one went belly-up?