Jennie Carter: A Black Journalist of the Early WestJennie Carter, Eric Gardner In June 1867, the San Francisco Elevator -one of the nation\'s premier black weekly newspapers during Reconstruction-began publishing articles by a Californian calling herself \Ann J. Trask\ and later \Semper Fidelis.\ Her name was Jennie Carter (1830-1881), and the Elevator would print her essays, columns, and poems for seven years. Carter probably spent her early life in New Orleans, New York, and Wisconsin, but by the time she wrote her \Always Faithful\ columns for the newspaper, she was in Nevada County, California. Her work considers California and national politics, race and racism, women\'s rights and suffrage, temperance, morality, education, and a host of other issues, all from the point of view of an unabashedly strong-minded African American woman. Recovering Carter\'s work from obscurity, this volume re-presents one of the most exciting bodies of extant work by an African American journalist before the twentieth century. Editor Eric Gardner provides an introduction that documents as much of Carter\'s life in California as can be known and places her work in historical and lite-rary context. Eric Gardner is chair and professor of English at Saginaw Valley State University. He is the editor of Major Voices: The Drama of Slavery, and his work has appeared in African American Review, the African American National Biography, and Legacy . |
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abolitionist Accomack County African American American West asked August Aunt Sybel Bath County beautiful Bell Bell’s black community black press black West California Carson Carson City Carter's letter celebration Census child childhood Chinese Americans Christian Recorder Church colored County Mud Hill cousin D. D. Carter dear Democrats Dennis early Editor Edmonia Lewis election Elevator Emancipation father Fifteenth Amendment friends Gorham grandmother Grass Valley Harper heard heart husband issues James January Jennie Carter July knew lady Letter from Nevada Lincoln live look Marysville mind mother Negro Nevada City Nevada County Mud never notes to Carter’s parents political published railroad readers Republican Sacramento San Francisco Semper Fidelis sense September slave slavery story suffrage talk tell things thought told Trask vote wife William woman women’s suffrage words writing York Yuba County