Research Guides: Historical U.S. Newspapers: History of US Newspapers

General Histories of American Newspapers

The following books cover the broad sweep of history in telling the story of newspapers in America.

Communities of Journalism by David Paul Nord
Call Number: McKeldin Stacks PN4855 .N67 2001
Publication Date: 2001-09-25
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David Paul Nord offers a lively and wide-ranging discussion of journalism as a vital component of community. In settings ranging from the religion-infused towns of colonial America to the rapidly expanding urban metropolises of the late nineteenth century, Nord explores the cultural work of the press.
Covering America by Christopher Daly
Call Number: McKeldin Stacks PN4855 .D36 2012
Publication Date: 2012-02-01
A general history of American journalism from the colonial era to the present day.
Newspapers and the Making of Modern America by Aurora Wallace
Call Number: McKeldin Stacks: PN4867 .W34 2005
Publication Date: 2005-07-01
Newspapers have been a central force in American mass media, and the 20th century witnessed newspapers take on an enormous importance in the dissemination of information and opinions throughout society. From the original small-town newspapers and daily tabloids to the growth of "national" newspapers and the alternative press, the nation's newspapers have reflected and shaped changes in American society. Wallace examines the significant trends in American newspaper journalism, including the proliferation of wire services, the development of the African-American press, investigative reporting, and the digital revolution.
The Press and America by Michael Emery; Edwin Emery; Nancy L. Roberts
Call Number: Hornbake Broadcasting Archives Stacks: PN4855 .E6 2000
Publication Date: 1999-12-06
With a continued emphasis on interpretation and analysis,The Press and America remains the classic authority on the history of mass media in the United States. The Press and America traces how major events in U.S. history were covered by reporters, editors and broadcasters and how other writers, advertisers and advocates influenced and continue to influence events in this country.
Three Hundred Years of the American Newspaper by John B. Hench
Call Number: McKeldin Stacks PN4855 .T57 1991
Publication Date: 1991-01-01
Reprinted from the Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, this collection of six essays covers various topics in the history of American newspapers.

Special-Focus Histories

The following titles discuss specific eras in the development of American journalism.

Blue & Gray in Black & White : Newspapers in the Civil War by Brayton Harris
Call Number: McKeldin Stacks E609 .H37 1999
Publication Date: 1999-08-01
This book is an account of the techniques, tactics, and personalities of the news-gathering industry during the American Civil War. This cataclysmic event accelerated the transformation of the content of newspapers from pallid literature and opinion to robust, partisan reporting of vital events, real and imagined. The written record, however, is only part of the story. Much of the impact of Civil War journalism derives from its illustrations, and twenty-two examples of these are reproduced here.
Colonial American Newspapers by David A. Copeland
Call Number: McKeldin Stacks PN4861 .C74 1997
Publication Date: 1996-12-01
In this book, scholar and journalist David A. Copeland provides a comprehensive discussion of the character and content of the news that ran in British American newspapers from their beginning in 1690 to the end of colonial era.
The Golden Age of the Newspaper by George H. Douglas
Call Number: McKeldin Stacks PN4864 .D68 1999
Publication Date: 1999-07-30
From the arrival of the penny papers in the 1830s to the coming of radio news around 1930, the American newspaper celebrated its Golden Age and years of greatest influence on society. Born in response to a thirst for news in large eastern cities such as New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, the mood of the modern metropolitan papers eventually spread throughout the nation.
Infamous Scribblers by Eric Burns
Call Number: McKeldin Stacks PN4861 .B87 2006
Publication Date: 2006-02-27
Infamous Scribblers is an exploration of the most volatile period in the history of the American press. Eric Burns tells of Ben Franklin, Alexander Hamilton and Sam Adams, the leading journalists among the Founding Fathers; of George Washington and John Adams, the leading disdainers of journalists; and Thomas Jefferson, the leading manipulator of journalists. These men and the writers who abused and praised them in print included the incendiary James Franklin, Ben's brother and one of the first muckrakers; the high minded Thomas Paine; the hatchet man James Callender, and a rebellious crowd of propagandists, pamphleteers, and publishers.
The Popular Press, 1833-1865 by William E. Huntzicker
Call Number: McKeldin Stacks PN4855 .H57 1994
Publication Date: 1999-01-30
A study of the transition from partisan to commercial newspapers as a gradual process between the founding of the penny papers in New York through the Civil War.
The Yellow Press, and Gilded Age Journalism by Sidney Kobre
Call Number: McKeldin Stacks PN4864 .K6
Publication Date: 1964
Sidney Kobre examines the 'Second Revolution' of the American press from 1865 to 1900 as American newspapers grew and changed in response to the urbanization and industrialization of the post-Civil War period.