'Reflecting the Best Side of our Condition': The Black Press and Racial Uplift in the United States, 1900-1959

This thesis explores the history of the black press between 1900 and 1959 through the lens of racial uplift. African American newspapers have, since the first publication in 1827, performed a social advocacy role where they promoted middle-class ideals of hard work, self-sufficiency, and respectability to "uplift" the black population to secure political and social equality. The thesis argues that the twentieth century black press, as the most important communication medium for the African American community, continued this social advocacy role by formulating racial uplift narratives to fit contemporary social conditions.