Der Westbote (Columbus, Ohio)
Historic newspapers carry the language, views and graphic reporting of their time, including racist content. They are shown to teen and adult profiles.
879 issues from 1872 to 1895, published in Columbus, Ohio, digitised for Chronicling America.
Running from 1843 to 1918 in Columbus, Ohio, Der Westbote (“Western Messenger”) served German Democrats both in and out of the state. Its early history was not an easy one, as both groups were in the minority in Columbus. But after overcoming these challenges, the paper and its influence grew rapidly. In its early years, Der Westbote opposed constitutional monarchies in Europe and both slavery and abolitionism in the United States. In 1871, the paper was briefly renamed the Wochenblatt des Westboten (“Weekly Western Messenger”), but it returned to its original title the next year. By 1915, circulation had reached 15,000, and some referred to the Westbote as the “Democratic Bible.” Among its editors and owners were Friedrich Fieser, Jacob and Friedrich Reinhard, Leonhard Hirsch, and Charles F. Gerhold.
Germans living in Columbus, especially those on the south side in the German Village neighborhood, found the Westbote particularly important as it helped connect them to both their new and old homes by printing local items and news from abroad (usually under the heading “Ausland”) in their native language. Among its pages readers could find: business advertisements; political news and editorials; poetry and serialized fiction; tax, land, and other legal notices; and more. The Westbotealso documented mid-19th-century German immigration to the United States. Most of its content was in German, although some advertisements were printed in English.
Initially a weekly, the…
- Genres
- News
- Published in
- Columbus, Ohio, United States
- 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