Historian Frederick Jackson Turner promoted the concept that the American character was shaped by the continuous confrontations Americans had with an ever-changing frontier that moved civilization westward. Each frontier provided a new collection of opportunities, a basis for creating new ideas and new institutions, and an escape from European influences. In this manner, the American character underwent a unique phase of development, the basic effects of the frontier influence being: a doctrine for American democracy and individualism developed under conditions where only the hardy survived; a sense of nationalism from the pioneers’ loyalty to the American government rather than to an individual state; and a social laboratory that resulted in daily experimentation on public activities and social interaction.
However, one of Turner’s oversights was to fail to include the development of the African-American character through experiencing numerous obstacles and hardships. This study examines how the development of black press and its influence in the black community, as well as the creation of a black American intellect, reflects the points of Turner’s thesis. Like Turner’s frontiersmen, blacks were summoned westward not only by the appeal of free land, but also the lure of literal freedom. They were willing to endure any hardship to achieve their goals–developing a sense of dominant individualism, black nationalism, and social interaction and community dependency. During this phase, editors and publishers of the black press tailored their newspapers to address the needs of their black readers.
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UTC Communication Department
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