In this lesson, students examine articles and advertisements from The Liberator, an African American newspaper published in Los Angeles in the early 20th century. Through primary source analysis, students work to answer the question: What was the purpose of The Liberator?
We developed this lesson as part of a partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District to create lessons about African American history in L.A. While this lesson focuses on one Los Angeles newspaper, it provides insight into the role and purpose of the African American press in this period more generally. To access the other lessons made in this partnership, click here.
Image: Issue of The Liberator from June 1901. From the J. L. Edmonds Project, accessed from the Internet Archive.