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Big things (sometimes) come in small packages…
August 2, 2021 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
A few weeks ago I was searching for a newspaper covering the Brown vs. the Board of Education case. Such searches can take anywhere from 15-20 minutes to hours, and not all are successful, so jumping in to such an effort is almost always accompanied by an interesting blend of enthusiasm and anxiety. I began my hunt by printing a list of the monthly volumes of the various titles within our archives which spanned May 18, 1954 – the day after the Supreme Court’s landmark decision, and then headed off to our archives to search them one-by-one, starting at the top of the list. The New York Times? Sold. The Detroit Free Press and Detroit News? Both sold. After working through the volumes from the largest cities of the era I moved on to those from smaller locations: The Times-Picayune? Sold as well. The Springfield Union from Massachusetts? Again… sold. I was about to give up when I thought, “I might as well check The Fitchburg Sentinel (from where?)”. Without much hope, I pulled the volume and turned to the date. And in that moment my lesson was learned – sometimes even small city papers have GREAT content! The Fitchburg Sentinel from May 18, 1954 actually contained 2 articles covering the Brown vs. the Board of Education ruling. Fantastic! If you have interest in this topic or other Supreme Court rulings, historic newspapers may be for you.
13th to 19th Amendments and Beyond…
September 29, 2014 by GuyHeilenman · 1 Comment
The National Park Service recently posted a page on one of their park sites titled: “Brown vs. Board of Education – The 13th to 19th Amendments and Beyond”. The post certainly is informative and their use of historic newspapers and magazines (Harper’s Weekly, Frank Leslie’s Illustrated, The Crisis, Taunton Daily Gazette) to provide visual and historic depth to the topic will be of particular interest to rare & early newspaper collectors. Please enjoy: Brown vs. Board of Education