The Black Newspaper and the Chosen Nation

201 Pages·2016·2.213 MB·English

by  Benjamin Fagan

The Black Newspaper and the Chosen Nation
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The Black
Newspaper and
the Chosen Nation
BENJAMIN FAGAN
The University of Georgia Press Athens
A Sarah Mills Hodge Fund Publication
This publication is made possible in part through a grant
from the Hodge Foundation in memory of its founder,
Sarah Mills Hodge, who devoted her life to the relief and
education of African Americans in Savannah, Georgia.
© 2016 by the University of Georgia Press
Athens, Georgia 30602
www.ugapress.org
All rights reserved
Set in Minion Pro by Graphic Composition, Inc., Bogart, GA
Printed and bound by Sheridan Books
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for
permanence and durability of the Committee on
Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the
Council on Library Resources.
Most University of Georgia Press titles are
available from popular e-book vendors.
Printed in the United States of America
20 19 18 17 16 c 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Fagan, Benjamin author.
Title: The black newspaper and the chosen nation / Benjamin Fagan.
Description: Athens : The University of Georgia Press, 2016. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: lccn 2015037495 | isbn 9780820349404 (hardcover : alk. paper) |
isbn 9780820349398 (e- book)
Subjects: lcsh: African American press—History—19th century. | African
American newspapers—History—19th century. | Press and politics—
United States—History—19th century.
Classification: lcc pn4882.5 .f35 2016 | ddc 071.3089/ 96073—dc23 lc record
available at http:// lccn.loc .gov/ 2015037495
For my parents. All of them.
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction. The Records of Black Chosenness 1
Chapter 1. Acting Chosen 20
Chapter 2. Prophecies for a Chosen Nation 42
Chapter 3. Revolutionary Chosenness 71
Chapter 4. The Limits of Black Chosenness 95
Chapter 5. Joining the Chosen Army 119
Conclusion. The Ends of Black Chosenness 142
Notes 149
Index 179
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Acknowledgments
This book has been inspired and supported by numerous individuals and
institutions, and I am grateful for the opportunity to name and thank them
here. Deborah McDowell not only first suggested that I explore the archive
of early black newspapers and guided this project from its inception but also
taught me through her example what it means to be an ethical scholar. For that
lesson, especially, I will always be grateful. Eric Lott, Anna Brickhouse, and
Matthew Hedstrom all helped shape this project from its beginnings, and I con-
tinue to rely upon their guidance and support. Kathleen Diffley first introduced
me to periodicals when I was a student in her undergraduate seminar, and I am
grateful to now be able to count her as a dear friend. A community of scholars
working in and around black print culture studies has inspired and encour-
aged me throughout this project. For their example and support I would like to
thank John Ernest, P. Gabrielle Foreman, Eric Gardner, Joycelyn Moody, and
Carla Peterson. And while I know her only through her scholarship, I owe a
profound debt of gratitude to Frances Smith Foster for her pathbreaking work.
A number of institutions have provided crucial support for this project. A
fellowship at the Carter G. Woodson Institute for African American and Af-
rican Studies at the University of Virginia allowed me to finish my disserta-
tion, and the Visiting Scholars program at the American Academy of Arts and
Sciences provided me with invaluable resources as I began the book manu-
script. A Joyce Tracy Fellowship from the American Antiquarian Society al-
lowed me to conduct essential research for this project, and a Robert C. and
Sandra Connor Fellowship from the University of Arkansas assisted with im-