Sources of Inquiry

Case 14: Newspapers

Newspapers are periodical publications produced to help individuals stay informed about current events. They are usually printed on a daily or weekly basis, and are often associated with cities. Newspapers are printed on inexpensive wood-pulp paper called "newsprint" due to its longstanding and ubiquitous use for the purpose. It yellows and deteriorates more quickly than other kinds of paper, and so some of the items on display are reproductions of fragile originals.

Newspapers can offer unique information about individuals and communities due to the combination of local advertisements, news, local business reviews, obituaries, editorial cartoons, opinion columns, and political updates. On display in the case is a page from the April 4, 1863 issue of the Portland Transcript featuring an article about the Prince of Wales' March 10th marriage. It serves as evidence of the naval blockade's effectiveness during the Civil War, as news of the marriage reached American shores several weeks after it occurred. Issues of the Philadelphia Free Press printed days after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox and President Abraham Lincoln's subsequent assassination are also displayed, as well as an issue of the Mammoth City Herald from 1880 with advertisements that provide a window into the social fabric of a mining boom town.

In the 20th century, newspapers catering to specific communities proliferated in urban and other areas. Examples include an issue of Pacific Citizen published by the Japanese American National League during World War II, and issues of the Los Angeles Free Press and San Francisco Free Press, underground newspapers first published in the 1960s. These and other local newspapers contain articles on topics not commonly seen in mainstream publications, like the health effects of smoking marijuana, the AIDS epidemic, and issues concerning the LGBT community.

Case 15, Maps, is located to the right.

• 1

  Pacific Citizen, Salt Lake City, UT, August 19, 1944E 1 P27

• 2

  The San Francisco Free Press, San Francisco, CA, November 1-14, 1969HM 1 S246

• 3

  Los Angeles Free Press, Los Angeles, CA, January 14-20, 1972AP 2 L813

• 4

  Canyon Crier, Los Angeles, CA, February 24, 1969F 869 L8 C266

• 5

  The News, Los Angeles, CA, May 15, 1987HQ 75 N46

• 6

  Mammoth City Herald, Mammoth, CA, August 21, 1880HD 9506 U63 C24

• 7

  Portland Transcript, Portland, ME, April 4, 1863F 29 P9 P67

• 8

  The Press, Philadelphia, PA, April 15, 1865AP 2 P536