Media Resource

African American Keywords for Chronicling America

Photograph shows a man, from the side, sitting against a wall and reading a newspaper.
Photo caption

Photograph of a man reading a newspaper, Anthony Angel Collection, 1954.

This resource is part of EDSITEment’s Race and Ethnicity Keyword Thesaurus for Chronicling America. Here you will find historically accurate keywords that may help in using the Chronicling America historic newspaper database to research topics in Black American history.  

We also offer a comprehensive introduction to working with historic newspapers in our teacher’s guide Chronicling America: History’s First Draft

Afro-American

Related Terms: Colored, Black, African American, Slave, Negro

Definitions: An American of African origin; a black American. 

Contextual Considerations, or "How this Term was Used": The term Afro-American was used from the 1870's to the early 1990's, and held a similar meaning as African American.

Insider / Outsider Use: Throughout the twentieth century, African American newspapers used the term “Afro-American” to refer to members of the community.

Examples from Chronicling America: 

Afro-American Courier (Yazoo City, Miss.), 01 May 1957. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

Afro-American Courier Masthead

"Afro-American" in The Washington Herald (Washington, D.C.), 28 May 1909. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Afro-American" in Newspaper

"Afro-American" in The Colorado Statesman (Denver, Colo.), 18 April 1914. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress

"Afro-American" in context

OCR Considerations, or "How the Computer Sees it"

 "Afrc-American" in The Broad Ax (Salt Lake City, Utah), 18 Sept. 1926. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Afrc-American" in Newspaper
"Afrc-American" in Newspaper Text

"Afre-American" in Daily Public Ledger (Maysville, Ky.), 19 April 1892. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Afre-American" in Newspaper
"Afre-American" in Newspaper Text
Colored

Related Terms: Black, African American, Slave, Negro, Ebony 

Definitions: By the nineteenth century, this term had replaced other derogatory terms for any person of African or African American descent who is melanated. From the late 1960s on, this term was replaced by “Black” and “African American.” This term is still used by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. 

Contextual Considerations, or "How this Term was Used": Many nonwhite groups, like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, have used this term in a positive manner, and this reclamation has led to its usage by various movements to protect the rights of ethnic populations.

Insider / Outsider Use: Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, African American newspapers used “Colored” to refer to members of the community.

Examples from Chronicling America:  

"Colored" in Salt River Journal (Bowling Green, Mo.), 19 Sept. 1840. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Colored" used in newspaper article

The Colored American (Washington, D.C.), 15 March 1902. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

The Colored American Masthead

OCR Considerations, or "How the Computer Sees it": 

"Colered" in Herald of the Times (Newport, R.I.), 18 Jan. 1838. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. 

"Colered" used in newspaper
"Colered" used in newspaper

"Cqlored" in The Bossier Banner (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.), 08 Feb. 1876. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Cqlored" in newspaper
"Cqlored" in newspaper OCR text
Creole

Related Terms: Colored, Mulatto, African American, Slave, Negro 

Definitions: Deriving from the Portuguese “crioulo,” which refers to an enslaved person born in their enslaver’s house, this term refers to any person of mixed ancestry born in a country previously colonized by white Europeans. Particularly in Louisiana, this term denotes descendants of early French settlers living in the southern United States. 

Contextual Considerations, or "How this Term was Used": During the nineteenth century, the mixed-race Creoles of Color or “gens de couleur libre” (free persons of color) gained prominence as an ethnic group, and many in Louisiana used it to distinguish themselves from foreign-born and Anglo-American settlers. Since the nineteenth century, this term has been used to describe not just people but also cultural expressions, languages, and literature.

Insider / Outsider Use: Throughout the nineteenth century, newspapers based in Louisiana published in both English and French. The newspapers used the term “Creole” to refer to members of this specific ethnic group as well as the wider culture.

Examples from Chronicling America: 

"Creole" in The Rhode-Island Republican (Newport, R.I.), 04 Feb. 1813. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Creole" in Newspaper

The Mississippi Creole (Canton, Miss.), 06 Nov. 1841. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

Mississippi Creole Masthead

"Créole" in The Weekly Louisianian (New Orleans, La.) 15 April 1882. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Creole" in context

OCR Considerations, or "How the Computer Sees it": 

"Crcole" in Arizona Republican (Phoenix, Ariz.), 23 Feb. 1911. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. 

"Crcole" in Newspaper
"Crcole" in Newspaper Text

"Creolo" in Nebraska Advertiser (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]), 07 Sept. 1882. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Creolo" in Newspaper
"Creolo" in Newspaper Text
Mulatto/a

Related Terms: Colored, Creole, African American, Slave, Negro 

Definitions: This term is usually used to refer to a person with one white and one Black parent, or, to a person with mixed Indigenous ancestry. 

Contextual Considerations, or "How this Term was Used": In the eighteenth-century United States, specific laws designated what persons were considered “Mulatto,” and usually, this refers to anyone with any mixed ethnicity in their ancestry, including both African and Native Americans. By the nineteenth century, this term was considered offensive, and it is generally used as a slur for people with intersectional racial identities. 

Insider / Outsider Use: For this term, the distinction between insider and outsider use does not apply, either because insiders do not use the term or because insiders and outsiders use the term in ways that are very closely aligned.

Examples from Chronicling America

"Mulatto" in Daily Ohio Statesman (Columbus, Ohio), 11 Dec. 1867. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Mulatto" in Newspaper

"Mulattoes" in The Seattle Republican (Seattle, Wash.), 06 Sept. 1912. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Mulatto" in Newspaper

OCR Considerations, or "How the Computer Sees It": 

"Muiatto" in The Times Dispatch (Richmond, Va.), 14 Sept. 1907. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Muiatto" in Newspaper
"Muiatto" in Newpspaper Text

"Malatto" in The Broad Ax (Salt Lake City, Utah), 31 March 1906. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Malatto" in Newspaper
"Malatto" in Newspaper Text
Negro

Related Terms: Colored, Black, African American, Slave, Ebony 

Definitions: Rooted in the Latin word for “black,” this term refers to s person of African or African American descent who is melanated. Prior to the abolition of slavery in the US, this term was sometimes used with an offensive connotation and was often a synonym of “slave.”

Contextual Considerations, or "How this Term was Used": This term was the standard designation for African Americans from the seventeenth to the early twentieth century. Often, this phrase was used to assert Negro pride  by Black scholars, namely W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington. The term was also embraced by artists of the Harlem Renaissance and social movements, such as the United Negro Improvement Association. In the 1960s, this term was replaced by “Black” and later by terms like “Afro-American.”

Insider / Outsider Use: Prior to the 1960s, African American newspapers embraced this term in reporting on social and professional news of interest to the Black community.

Examples from Chronicling America

"Negro" in The Gazette (Portland, Me.), 14 May 1798. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Negro" used in newspaper

"Negro" in The Kansas City Sun (Kansas City, Mo.), 16 Aug. 1919. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

 "Associated Negro Press" in newspaper

"Negro" in The Detroit Tribune (Detroit, Mich.), 07 March 1942. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Negro" in context

OCR Considerations, or "How the Computer Sees It": 

"Necro" in Chicago Tribune (Chicago, Ill.), 28 Aug. 1867. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Necro" in newspaper
"Necro" in newspaper OCR text

"Negto" in The Echo (Meridian, Miss.), 25 Feb. 1944. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.  

"Negto" in newspaper
"Negto" in newspaper OCR text
Negro/a (Spanish)

Related terms: 

Spanish: La raza negra, negrito/a 

English: Black race

Definitions: 

Spanish: Persona que tiene la piel de color oscuro

English: Of African origin; a Black man/woman 

Contextual Considerations, or "how this term was used": 

Spanish: Referencia a personas de la raza/población negra

English: Used to refer to people of the Black community/ race 

Insider/outsider Use: 

Insider Use: 

Spanish: Término adoptado por la comunidad afroamericana cuando se refiere a personas de la comunidad.

English: Term embraced by the African American community when referring to people of the community. 

Outsider Use: 

Spanish: Utilizado por personas que no son de raza negra como término ofensivo/despectivo.

English: Used by non-Black people as an offensive/derogatory term. 

Examples from Chronicling America:

“Negro” La voz del pueblo. [volume] (Santa Fe, Nuevo México), 02 May 1908. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

Newspaper clipping featuring the word "negros"
Photo caption

“Negro” La voz del pueblo. [volume] (Santa Fe, Nuevo México), 02 May 1908. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045436/1908-05-02/ed-1/seq-1/>

Negros” El Democrata fronterizo. [volume] (Laredo, Tex.), 18 Aug. 1906. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

Newspaper clipping highlighting the word negros
Photo caption

“Negros” El Democrata fronterizo. [volume] (Laredo, Tex.), 18 Aug. 1906. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045001/1906-08-18/ed-1/seq-1/>

 



 

“Negro” El Internacional. [volume] (Tampa, Fla.), 30 Nov. 1917. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

Newspaper clipping featuring the word negro
Photo caption

“Negro” El Internacional. [volume] (Tampa, Fla.), 30 Nov. 1917. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn95047435/1917-11-30/ed-1/seq-2/>

OCR Considerations, or "How the Computer Sees it": 

“Negrito” La voz del pueblo. [volume] (Santa Fe, Nuevo México), 14 Dec. 1918. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

Newspaper clipping featuring the word "negrito"
Photo caption

“Negrito” La voz del pueblo. [volume] (Santa Fe, Nuevo México), 14 Dec. 1918. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045436/1918-12-14/ed-1/seq-3/>

“Negro” “negras” 

Spanish: Usado como adjetivo (color). Por ejemplo, en condiciones médicas como la plaga negra y pierna negra, pero también en relación con el color de las especies animales (por ejemplo, un pájaro negro) y tambien para describir color de ropa. 

English: used as a word for color (adjective). For example with medical conditions such as  the Black Plague and blackfoot, but also in relation to color of animal species (eg a black bird) and when describing color of clothing. 

From La voz del pueblo. [volume] (Santa Fe, Nuevo México), 02 May 1908. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

Newspaper clipping featuring the words "negro" and "negras"
Photo caption

From La voz del pueblo. [volume] (Santa Fe, Nuevo México), 02 May 1908. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045436/1908-05-02/ed-1/seq-1/>



 

On occasion, OCR inaccurately reads “e” as “c”: “Vienen la tripulación necesaria para evitar el tráfico de ncgros y mas de una vez se han visto en la precisión de retirarse.” Example below from Gazeta de Puerto-Rico. [volume] ([San Juan, P.R.), August 01, 1839, Page 365, Image 1. 

Slave

Related Terms: Colored, Black, Enslaved Person, Negro, Creole

Definition: This term refers to one who is the property of another person, whether by birth, purchase, or capture. This term is used for a person who is forced to perform labor or service against their will under threat of physical abuse, separation from family or loved ones, or death. In the context of United States history, this term refers to one of the millions of kidnapped Africans transported to the Americas and their descendants held in bondage from 1619 until the end of the U.S. Civil War in 1865.

Contextual Considerations, or "How this Term was Used": This term suggests that the individual was not human but was a piece of property and that the individual had accepted their enslavement as a definition of their identity. As such, this term has been replaced by “enslaved person.”

Insider / Outsider Use: For this term, the distinction between insider and outsider use does not apply, either because insiders do not use the term or because insiders and outsiders use the term in ways that are very closely aligned.

Examples from Chronicling America: 

"Slave" in The Jasper Weekly Courier (Jasper, Ind.), 08 Dec. 1893. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. 

"Slave" in Newspaper

"Slave" in New Britain Herald (New Britain, Conn.), 30 Dec. 1919. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Slave" in Newspaper Headline

OCR Considerations, or "How the Computer Sees it": 

"Flave" in The Enquirer (Richmond, Va.), 14 July 1804. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Flave" in Newspaper
"Flave" in Newspaper Text

"Slavo" in The Herald and News (Newberry S.C.), 25 Dec. 1906. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

"Slavo" in Newspaper
"Slavo" in Newspaper Text