Research Guides: Historical U.S. Newspapers: The Ethnic Press

What is the Ethnic Press?

The Ethnic Press refers to newspapers published for specific audiences based on nationality, religion, and/or language. The history of the ethnic press stretches back to the colonial period, when German, Irish, and other non-English immigrants made their way to the American colonies, forming communities and, with them, newspapers. As the numbers and diversity of immigrants increased in the 19th Century, so too did the newspapers created to serve these populations. Many of the newspapers are in languages other than English, comprising a sub-group known as the foreign-language press. However, ethnic presses can appear in English as well, with a prime example being the Irish press. This page offers some resources to help researchers learn about the ethnic press in America, as well as some tips for finding ethnic newspapers in the library collection.

Finding Ethnic Newspapers at the Library

There are several ways to go about locating ethnic newspapers in the University of Maryland system. The route you take will depend on your specific research needs:

Looking for a specific newspaper: If you have a particular publication in mind, do a "title search" in the library catalog to see if it is available in the collection. If you locate the newspaper of interest, pay attention to the holdings information. Most likely, the newspaper will be on microfilm or will be accessed through one of the historical newspaper databases, such as America's Historical Newspapers.

Looking for newspapers of a particular group/community: Alternatively, you may want to find newspapers from a specific ethnic press, such as the German-American press. To see what is available, do a "subject search" in the catalog of the format "[name of group] Americans newspapers". So, for the German press, search "German Americans newspapers". This search will return not only newspapers for that group, if available, but also histories and other resources.

Need current news from the ethnic press? Try Ethnic NewsWatch, available in Research Port. This database covers newspapers and periodicals from 1990 to the present, with access to more than 2 million full-text articles.

General Histories and Bibliographies

Encyclopedic Directory of Ethnic Newspapers and Periodicals in the United States by Lubomyr R. Wynar; Anna T. Wynar
Call Number: McKeldin Reference: Z6953.5.A1 W94 1976

Publication Date: 1976-07-01
Ethnic Periodicals in Contemporary America by Sandra L. Ireland
Call Number: McKeldin Reference: PN4882 .I73 1990

Publication Date: 1990-04-23

This book provides accessible information on 290 ethnic-interest periodicals published in the United States. It contains the most comprehensive listing of ethnic periodicals in the United States, making it easier for researchers to focus on such areas as linguistics, immigration and assimilation, anthropology, geography, genealogy, social and political history, and other areas of interest.
The Ethnic Press in the United States by Sally M. Miller (Editor)
Call Number: McKeldin Stacks: PN4882 .E84 1987

Publication Date: 1987-01-19

This collection consists of essays by qualified scholars on the newspapers of 27 immigrant groups, ranging from the important German and Jewish presses to comparatively obscure ones such as Arabic, Danish, Portuguese, and Ukrainian.
The Ethnic Press: Shaping the American Dream by Leara D. Rhodes
Call Number: McKeldin Stacks: PN4884 .R57 2010

Publication Date: 2010

Millions of people have come to America seeking a different life than the one they had in their home country. In documenting the history of immigrants in America through the lens of their newspapers, this book offers a new interpretation, illuminating how ethnic presses in America helped to shape the American Dream. Moreover, the book shows how the ethnic press continues to reshape this dream, as its function has changed from one of acculturation to assimilation to cultural pluralism targeted at the immigrant audience.
The Immigrant Labor Press in North America, 1840s-1970s by Dirk Hoerder (Editor); Christiane Harzig (Editor)
Call Number: McKeldin Stacks: PN4884 .H63 1987

Publication Date: 1987-07-13

This bibliography is a comprehensive collection of the non-English-language labor and radical periodical publications of the United States and Canada, written for and by immigrants. It is intended to supplement existing studies of the role of individual ethnic groups in the North American working classes, by using a broad comparative approach that takes into account the cultures of origin, migration processes, and specific forms of acculturation in the United States and Canada.
Outsiders in 19th-Century Press History by Frankie Hutton (Editor); Barbara S. Reed (Editor)
Call Number: McKeldin Stacks: PN4882 .O87 1995

Publication Date: 1995-11-01

This anthology of journalism history brings together essays on the early Black press, pioneer Jewish journalism, Spanish-language newspapers, Native American newspapers, woman suffrage, peace advocacy, and Chinese American and Mormon publications. It shows how marginal groups developed their own journalism to counter the prejudices and misconceptions of the white establishment press. The essays address the important questions of freedom of expression in the domains of race, gender and religious matters.
Print Culture in a Diverse America by James P. Danky (Editor); Wayne A. Wiegand (Editor)
Call Number: McKeldin Stacks: PN4882 .P75 1998

Publication Date: 1998

A collection of essays about the ethnic press experience in various immigrant and minority communities.

Community-Specific Resources

Chinese Newspapers Published in North America, 1854-1975 by Compiled by Karl Lo and H. M. Lai
Call Number: McKeldin Reference: PN4885.C5 L6

Publication Date: 1977

In addition to the general resources listed above, there are a number of books and other works dedicated to one ethnic press or another. A sample of those works is presented here.

Croatian Newspapers and Calendars in the United States by Nada Kesterčanek Vujica
Call Number: McKeldin Folio: Z6953.5.S4 K4

Publication Date: 1971
German-American Newspapers and Periodicals, 1732-1955: History and Bibliography by Karl J. R. Arndt and May E. Olson
Call Number: McKeldin Reference: Z6953.5.G3 A7 1965

Publication Date: 1965
Hispanic Periodicals in the United States, Origins to 1960 by Nicolás Kanellos; Helvetia Martell
Call Number: McKeldin Reference: PN4885.S75 K36 2000

Publication Date: 2000-01-01

Offers a detailed historical survey of Hispanic periodicals published in the US before 1960, reviewing exile, immigrant, and nativist publications, then lists some 1,700 records of periodical publications.
Norwegian Newspapers in America by Odd S. Lovoll
Call Number: McKeldin Stacks: PN4885.N6 L68 2010

Publication Date: 2010-05-15

In the nineteenth century, the United States, “the land of newspapers,” was also fast becoming the land of immigrants, with increasing numbers of Norwegians arriving amid the European influx. Already, the newspaper Skandinaven kept newcomers and their Old World friends and family informed of political, religious, and social matters discussed in burgeoning Norwegian American communities. From 1847 to today, more than 280 Norwegian-language papers were launched in cities ranging from Minneapolis to Fargo, Boston to Seattle. Some lasted just a few months; others continued for decades; all contributed to a developing Norwegian- American perspective.
The Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project
This website hosted by Carnegie Mellon University provides full-text access to three historical newspapers documenting the Pittsburgh Jewish community.