The American Black Press and Late Imperial Russia

Abstract

In early western accounts, Russia was distinctly oppressive, a state characterized by tyranny, barbarism, and Mongolian influence. But these accounts were faulty. They were written by merchants, diplomats, and explorers, wealthy white men who had never experienced the repression they witnessed in Russia. When Black Americans looked to Russia, however, they saw a place fundamentally similar to the United States. By tracing the coverage of Russia in the American Black press from 1827 to 1917, this paper argues that the connections between slavery and serfdom drove Black attitudes toward late Imperial Russia, making Black accounts reflective of circumstances in the United States, Russia, and the Black press itself.