SOURCE: “The Editor,” in Martin R. Delany: The Beginnings of Black Nationalism, Beacon Press, 1971, pp. 52‐86.

In the following excerpt, Ullman surveys Delany's career as editor of The Mystery, and focuses on his antislavery activities.

The Mystery was wholly a reflection of its editor. Aside from its news content, which was concerned chiefly with reports on slave‐stealing events, Delany wrote directly to his people on every variety of theme applying to them and exposing every white hypocrisy directed at them. Today, his journalistic colleagues would dismiss him as a propagandist because he thumped a drum rather than pursued the modern course of greater subtlety in general newspaper propaganda. In Pittsburgh, and then throughout the country in Delany's day, his colleagues first were amazed and then admiring—all but the outrightly pro‐slavery editors.

Delany minced no words as his writing on manhood made clear:

Situated as we are...