On March 16, 1827, the fi rst edition of the fi rst African American newspaper in the United States, Freedom’s Journal, was published. In this debut issue, the editors Samuel Cornish and John Russwurm set out their goals for the newspaper: to give a voice to African Americans, to help improve their minds and inform them of national and international events and issues in an impartial way, to encourage political and social activism among blacks, and to connect black Americans to a greater community of people beyond their own cities and regions. In the two years that it was in print, Freedom’s Journal endeavored to do just that, publishing stories about lynchings and slavery; the latest national and international news, particularly about Haiti, Africa, and Sierra Leone; notices of school events and employment and housing opportunities; biographies of black men and women; essays, short stories, and poetry; and sermons, oratories, and announcements of deaths, births, and weddings.