Research Guides: Racial Violence in America: Newspapers

New! Adam Matthew (AM) digital primary source collections

Atkins Library now offers access to more than 50 digital primary source collections. Coverage spans every continent and centuries of history. Materials include newspapers, letters, diaries, government and legal documents, photos, and maps, and supplementary content such as chronologies and essays. Learn more about our subscription or browse the collections.

AM Explorer (AM Digital) This link opens in a new window
Access millions of pages of primary source collections across the entire portfolio of Adam Matthew Digital, spanning content from the 15th-21st centuries.

How-To Video: Searching Historical Newspapers

Searching for Primary Sources
This learning module will help you understand how to develop a list of keywords and identify and search within appropriate databases to find primary sources.

NC Newspaper Locator

NC Newspaper Locator
The North Carolina Newspaper Locator database, reflecting the microfilm holdings of the NC State Government and Heritage Library, contains listings for nearly 2,000 unique newspaper titles dating from 1751 to today. Search for titles by specific counties or those surrounding them, city, date or date range, or by a newspaper title itself. Users may request the microfilm reels through interlibrary loan.

Historical Newspapers - Print

Atkins Library has a number of old newspapers on microfilm. These may be challenging to use because they do not have an index. However, if you have a specific date or narrow date range, this will help you in using the newspapers on microfilm.

Early American Newspapers on Microfilm
Early American Newspapers owned by the J. Murrey Atkins Library, UNC Charlotte.
Charlotte and Mecklenburg County Newspapers
List of historical and current local newspapers owned by Atkins Library.

Raleigh News & Observer

Index to the News and Observer, 1926-1992
Search or browse topics and personal names to find 20th-century News and Observer article citations.

Historical Newspapers - Electronic

Accessible Archives This link opens in a new window
19th Century African American newspapers, American County Histories to 1900, American Civil War Primary Sources, and more.
African American Newspapers Series 1: 1827-1998 This link opens in a new window
Provides access to U.S. newspapers chronicling a century and a half of the African-American experience. This collection includes historically significant papers and features many rare 19th-century titles.
African American Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Contains information about cultural life and history during the 1800's and includes first-hand reports of the major events and issues of the day, including the Mexican War, Presidential and Congressional addresses, the humanities, world travel and religion.
African American Newspapers in the South, 1870-1926 This link opens in a new window
Provides access to a collection of newspapers reporting on the African American experience in segregated southern America from 1870 to 1926. The collection contains editorial pieces that expose the racial discrimination and violence that many suffered through, and also includes light-hearted pieces that focused on other civil affairs, events, local gossip, and more throughout the local community.
America's Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Searchable American newspaper collections, including African American Newspapers Series 1, 1827-1998; Caribbean Newspapers, 1718-1876; South Carolina's Historical Newspapers; Hispanic American Newspapers, 1808-1980; and selected historical newspapers.
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection This link opens in a new window
Includes over 8,000 periodicals with coverage of American and World History from 1684-1912
American Hebrew and Jewish Messenger (1857-1922) This link opens in a new window
The American Hebrew was a weekly Jewish newspaper published in New York City. In 1903 it merged with the Jewish Messenger. Covered many topics of Jewish interest internationally.
Indigenous Newspapers in North America, 1828-2016 (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
A collection of national periodicals as well as local community news and student publications from Indigenous peoples of the US and Canada
American Periodicals This link opens in a new window
Full text periodicals published between 1740 and 1940.
American Prison Newspapers, 1800-2020 This link opens in a new window
American Prison Newspapers brings together hundreds of newspapers published within prisons by incarcerated people over the past 200 years. When complete, the collection will contain newspapers from prisons in every state, representing penal institutions of all kinds, including women-only institutions.
Atlanta Constitution (1868-1942) This link opens in a new window
Newspaper includes obituaries, stocks and editorials.
Caribbean Newspapers, 1718-1876 This link opens in a new window
140 newspaper titles from 22 islands from the 18th and 19th centuries. Research Colonial history, the Atlantic slave trade, New World slavery, and more. Most of these newspapers were published in English, but some non-English titles are also included.
Charlotte Observer (1886-present) This link opens in a new window
Charlotte Observer online from 1886 to the present.
Charlotte Observer Historical Archive, 1886-2018 (via Readex) This link opens in a new window
Includes obituaries, stocks, editorials and first-hand accounts of events.
Chicago Defender (1910-1975) This link opens in a new window
A leading African-American newspaper, with more than two-thirds of its readership outside of Chicago.
Christian Recorder, 1861-1902 This link opens in a new window
The oldest existing black periodical in America. Focused on religious news, but also includes articles about education, voting rights, equality and other secular issues that affected the lives of black Americans.

Chronicling America: Historic Newspapers 1789-1963
Newspaper digitization project from the Library of Congress

Colored American, 1837 - 1841 This link opens in a new window
Covers social and political issues of the 19th century. Published in Washington, D.C. the newspaper routinely featured articles on religion, politics, education, military affairs and black fraternal organizations.
Douglass Monthly, 1859-1863 This link opens in a new window
Dedicated to abolitionism and social reform, it was one of four newspapers published by Frederick Douglass.
Frederick Douglass Paper, 1851-1855 This link opens in a new window
Formerly known as the North Star, publisher Frederick Douglass decided to make the title change in 1851.
Freedom's Journal, 1827-1829 This link opens in a new window
The first American newspaper written by blacks for blacks.
Gale NewsVault This link opens in a new window
Platform for cross-searching a range of historical UK newspaper and periodical collections, including 19th century British Library Newspapers (Parts I and II); 19th Century UK Periodicals, Series 1; Times Digital Archive (1785-2006); and, Times Literary Supplement Historical Archive (1902-2007)
Harper's Weekly: 1857-1912 This link opens in a new window
A 19th century illustrated newspaper from 1857-1912. Includes news stories, illustrations, cartoons, editorials, biographies, literature and advertisements.
Hispanic American Newspapers, 1808-1980 This link opens in a new window
Spanish-language newspapers printed in the U.S. during 19th and 20th centuries. Many of these newspapers were published bilingually in Spanish and English.
Historic North Carolina Digital Newspaper Collection This link opens in a new window
Newspapers.com North Carolina Collection includes digitized content from over 1,000 NC county newspapers.

ICON: International Coalition on Newspapers
Find digital newspaper collections for each country

Independent Voices This link opens in a new window
An open access digital collection of alternative press newspapers and magazines produced by feminists, campus radicals, Native Americans, anti-war activists, Black Power advocates, Hispanics, LGBT activists, and the extreme right-wing press.
Japanese-American Relocation Camp Newspapers: Perspectives on Day-to-Day Life This link opens in a new window
First-person accounts from interned Japanese Americans during World War II.
Jerusalem Post (1932-2008) This link opens in a new window
Founded in 1932 as The Palestine Post, this paper established itself as the top English-language paper of the Middle East and Jewish world. The publication fervently supported the struggle for a Jewish homeland and freely opposed British restrictions on Jewish immigration. Over the decades, the paper espoused a left-leaning perspective that shifted to the right in the 1980s.
Jewish Advocate (1905-1990) This link opens in a new window
Founded in 1902, this is the oldest continually-circulated English-language Jewish newspaper in the United States.
Jewish Exponent (1887-1990) This link opens in a new window
Carried news of developments in Israel, efforts to rescue Jews the world over from repressive regimes, and the ever-expanding role of Jews in American public life.
Latin American Newspapers (Series I), 1805-1922 This link opens in a new window
Full-text access to more than 30 Latin American newspapers published 1805-1922.
Latin American Newspapers (Series II), 1822-1922 This link opens in a new window
Series II of Latin American Newspapers expands the number of titles available from this region, including from some countries and cities not represented in Series I.
LexisNexis News (Nexis Uni) This link opens in a new window
National and international news, business news and company reports including articles from magazines, newspapers and newsletters.
London Low Life (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
Contains color digital images of rare books, ephemera, maps and other materials relating to 18th, 19th and early 20th century London.
National Era, 1847-1860 This link opens in a new window
Issued weekly in D.C. for more than 13 years. With emphasis on literary reviews and commentaries it was the paper in which Uncle Tom's Cabin was serialized.
National Geographic Magazine (1888-1994) This link opens in a new window
Provides in-depth coverage of cultures, nature, science, technology and more with comprehensive, relevant articles and legendary photographs and maps.
New York Amsterdam News (1922-1993) This link opens in a new window
This leading Black newspaper of the 20th century reached its peak in the 1940s. It was a strong advocate for the desegregation of the U.S. military during World War II, and also covered the historically important Harlem Renaissance.
New York Times Historical Archives (1851-2020) This link opens in a new window
Major global newspaper including news, editorials, letters to the editor, obituaries, birth and marriage announcements, as well as photos and advertisements.
NewsBank This link opens in a new window
Full-text newspaper articles covering international, national, and local news. Includes the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Charlotte Observer, and many others.
19th Century British Library Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Contains full runs of 48 newspapers specially selected by the British Library to best represent nineteenth century Britain.
19th Century British Pamphlets This link opens in a new window
Contains the most significant British pamphlets from the 19th century held in UK research libraries. Pamphlets were an important means of public debate, covering the key political, social, technological, and environmental issues of their day.
Eight Centuries (formerly 19th Century Masterfile) This link opens in a new window
Eight Centuries (formerly 19th Century Masterfile) is a database covering primary source materials from 1106 until 1960. Provides access to articles, newspapers, books, U.S. patents, government documents, and images.
19th Century UK Periodicals This link opens in a new window
A major multi-part series of periodicals which covers the events, lives, values and themes that shaped the 19th century world.
North Carolina Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
North Carolina Historical newspapers from late 1700s to 1859
North Star, 1847-1851 This link opens in a new window
African-American newspaper devoted to "the cause of Liberty, Humanity and Progress". Edited by Frederick Douglass and M.R. Delaney, the paper was dedicated to the abolishment of slavery and in support of women's rights.
Philadelphia Tribune (1912-2001) This link opens in a new window
The oldest continuously published black newspaper dedicated to the needs and concerns of the fourth largest black community in the U.S. During the 1930s the paper supported the growth of the United Way, rallied against the riots in Chester, PA, and continuously fought against segregation.
Provincial Freeman, 1854-1857 This link opens in a new window
Devoted to anti-slavery, temperance and general literature, with no affiliation to a particular political party. Edited and published by blacks in the Province of Canada West (now called Ontario) where many fugitive slaves from the United States had settled.
Readers' Guide Retrospective: 1890-1982 (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new window
Index for general-interest, news, and opinion magazines published primarily in the United States.
Service Newspapers of World War Two (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
A collection of over 300 newspapers, from key nations across the globe that took part in the conflict, that brought information, entertainment and camaraderie to the forces at home and overseas.
South Carolina's Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
South Carolina Historical newspapers from late 1700s to 1859.
Times Digital Archive This link opens in a new window
Historical newspaper archive with full-text coverage of the Times from 1785 to 2013. Supports research across multiple disciplines including business, humanities, political science, and philosophy with coverage of all major international historical events.
Times Literary Supplement Historical Archive This link opens in a new window
Full coverage from 1902-2019. Reviews of books in many disciplines, theatre, musical performances, art exhibitions, film, media, and other cultural events as well as editorial and commentary articles.
Trench Journals and Unit Magazines of the First World War This link opens in a new window
A unique source of information on the common serviceman and woman’s experience of the war. Limit your search by language, unit name, type, origin or location, etc.
Times Picayune (1923-1988) This link opens in a new window
News Orleans-based newspaper covering 1923-1988
US Newsstream This link opens in a new window
Provides access to newspapers, news websites, and blogs from leading publishers throughout the world.
Washington Post This link opens in a new window
Full text of The Washington Post newspaper from Dec 4, 1996 - present
Weekly Advocate, Jan. 1837 - March 1838 This link opens in a new window
African-American newspaper published weekly. On March 4, 1837, issue number 9 of the newspaper was published under the new name of The Colored American.