The National Tribune (Washington, D.C.)
Historic newspapers carry the language, views and graphic reporting of their time, including racist content. They are shown to teen and adult profiles.
1,537 issues from 1877 to 1911, published in Washington, District Of Columbia, digitised for Chronicling America.
The National Tribune was founded as a monthly newspaper for Civil War veterans and their families in October 1877. Its aim was “to secure to soldiers and sailors their rights, and to expose their wrongs to public inspection so that correction may be made…” The Tribune included articles on the experiences of both commanding officers as well as ordinary soldiers, ranging from detailed battle descriptions to personal narratives.
The paper showed a particular interest in the Civil War as its founder, George E. Lemon, was himself a Union veteran. An attorney and accountant, Lemon intended the National Tribune to advocate on behalf of veterans rights and specifically for laws to ensure the receipt of pensions by veterans and their families. Later, in 1881, Lemon added to the paper’s motto a quotation from Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address: “to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan…”
During its first few years of publication, the National Tribune covered Congressional news related to pension laws and the Pension Office, as well as providing narratives, tables, and statistics about past wars. Relying on his background as a lawyer, Lemon frequently printed simple, yet valuable advice to veterans on claiming their pensions. The paper also covered lighter topics and included anecdotes, poems, and jokes. Large illustrations many drawn by Thomas Nast, a well-known political cartoonist for Harper’s Weekly , appeared on its front page.…
- Genres
- News
- Published in
- Washington, District Of Columbia, United States
- Language
- English
- Collection
- Chronicling America
- Licence or status
- None stated by the archive
- Rights
- The Library of Congress believes that the newspapers in Chronicling America are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions. Newspapers published in the United States more than 95 years ago are in the public domain in their entirety.
- Credit
- Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities
- Who can read it
- Teens profiles and older (placed by Invisible Network from what the archive says; archives give no ratings)
- Archive
- Library of Congress