St. Simons Island in Glynn County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
The Defender
Fort Frederica National Monument
The paper denounced atrocities that affected black Americans and had to be smuggled into the South. By lauding life in the north, listing jobs, train schedules, and housing opportunities, the newspaper gave the hope and inspiration that launched the Great Migration. Eventually over 1½ million rural southern blacks would move north.
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The Defender’s editorials campaigned for anti-lynching laws and integrated sports. The paper was the largest black-owned daily newspaper in the world.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Communications • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1868.
Location. 31° 13.417′ N, 81° 23.395′ W. Marker is on St. Simons Island, Georgia , in Glynn County. Marker can be reached from Mimosa Drive, 0.2 miles west of Frederica Road. Marker is located along the interpretive trail at Fort Frederica National Monument. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6515 Frederica Road, Saint Simons Island GA 31522, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Broad Street (a few steps from this marker); The Town Wall (a few steps from this marker); Frederica (within shouting distance of this marker); The Flesh Market (within shouting distance of this marker); Fort Frederica (within shouting distance of this marker); The World Is My Parish (within shouting distance of this marker); Strong Walls From Refuse (within shouting distance of this marker); Tavernkeepers (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Simons Island.
Also see . . .
1. Robert Sengstacke Abbott. Following law school, Abbott made several attempts to establish himself as an attorney in Chicago. Due to racial discrimination, he was unable to practice law. Abbott published the first edition of The Chicago Defender by using his landlord’s kitchen to print copies of the paper. By 1916, The Chicago Defender’s circulation was 50,000 and it was considered one of the best African American newspapers in the United States. (Submitted on March 13, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. “Bound for the Promised Land”. African Americans devised a mass exodus from the Jim Crow South, largely at the urging of The Chicago Defender. In November, 1916, as Woodrow Wilson won a narrow reelection victory, The Defender’s editorial page published “Bound for the Promised Land,” by M. Ward. The poem reflects the experiences of those who had already migrated north, found jobs, and sent for their wives, as well as of the Southerners’ efforts to ban the work of Northern labor agents. (Submitted on March 13, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. History of the Chicago Defender. By the start of World War I, the Chicago Defender was the nation’s most influential Black weekly newspaper, with more than two thirds of its readership base located outside of Chicago. During World War I, the paper utilized its influence to wage a successful campaign in support of “The Great Migration.” Sengstacke served as publisher of the Defender until his death in May 1997. (Submitted on March 13, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
4. The Great Migration. The relocation of more than 6 million African Americans from the rural South to the cities of the North, Midwest and West from about 1916 to 1970. Driven by unsatisfactory economic opportunities and harsh segregationist laws, many Black Americans headed north, where they took advantage of the need for industrial workers that arose during the First World War. (Submitted on March 13, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on March 13, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 5, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 202 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on March 13, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.