SOURCE: Murphy, James E., and Sharon M. Murphy. “American Indian Newspapers, 1828 to the Civil War.” In Let My People Know: American Indian Journalism, 1828-1978, pp. 16-38. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1981.

In the following excerpt, the Murphys examine the history of Native American news periodicals and their representation of Indian life prior to the Civil War.

The survey of American Indian newspapers that starts here opens with an account of early-day press efforts, presenting their development in the context of the social forces that initially prompted the papers and eventually stifled them. Following a general overview, the chapter focuses closely on the first publications, including the Cherokee Phoenix, and then looks at several other pre-Civil War publications of the Five Civilized Tribes.

One of the primary tasks of the early papers was clearly educational—to promote among Indians a better chance for successful encounters with a world increasingly...