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Chronicling America
National Endowment for the Humanities

Newspaper The American (Omaha, Nebraska) 1891-1899

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About The American (Omaha, Nebraska) 1891-1899

The American (1891-99) was a nativist newspaper published in Omaha, Nebraska. It was edited by John C. Thompson, and published on Fridays by the American Publishing Co. at a subscription rate of $2.00. Its circulation was described as “not exceeding 3,000,” based on the American Newspaper Directory’s circulation ratings.

The American was an organ for the American Protective Association, or A.P.A., a secret society noted for being anti-Catholic and, to a lesser extent, anti-immigrant. Established originally in Clinton, Iowa, the American Protection Association often made unsubstantiated claims about the number of votes it controlled. A regular practice was to cite an unfavorable opinion about the A.P.A., and then dismiss it as ridiculous. An example in the November 30, 1894 issue focuses on a short editorial from a Toledo, Ohio newspaper, which described as “absurd” the claim that the A.P.A had been responsible for President Grover Cleveland’s election. The editor of the American refutes this charge at length.

The motto under the paper’s flag was “America for Americans- We hold that all men are Americans who swear allegiance to the United States without a mental reservation in favor of the Pope.” First page articles in the July 20, 1894 issue include such titles as “Rome Ridden Spain” and “Open Them Up- Closed Convents Should Not be Tolerated in a Free Country.” Serialized fiction, such as “The Nun” “translated from the French,” showed Catholicism in a bad light.

During his term as publisher of the American, John C. Thompson was accused of failing to pay personal property taxes, and was subpoenaed by the Omaha courts. Thompson lost the case and was forced to pay a heavy fine.

Provided By: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The American (Omaha, Nebraska) 1891-1899

Dates of Publication

  • 1891-1899

Created / Published

  • Omaha, Nebraska : John C. Thompson, -[1899]

Headings

  • -  American Protective Association--Newspapers
  • -  American Protective Association
  • -  Nebraska--Omaha
  • -  Nativism--Newspapers
  • -  Anti-Catholicism--United States--Newspapers
  • -  Omaha (Neb.)--Newspapers
  • -  Anti-Catholicism
  • -  Nativism
  • -  United States
  • -  United States--Nebraska--Douglas--Omaha

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Began in 1891; ceased in September 1899.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Description based on: Volume 1, number 16 (August 6, 1891); title from masthead.
  • -  Latest issue consulted: September 8, 1899.

Medium

  • volumes

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2017270212

OCLC Number

  • 1004674139

ISSN Number

  • 2766-2942

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

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. Any newspapers in Chronicling America that were published less than 95 years ago are also believed to be in the public domain, but may contain some copyrighted third party materials. Researchers using newspapers published less than 95 years ago should be alert for modern content (for example, registered and renewed for copyright and published with notice) that may be copyrighted. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

The American Omaha, Nebraska -1899. (Omaha, NE), Jan. 1 1891. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/2017270212/.

APA citation style:

(1891, January 1) The American Omaha, Nebraska -1899. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/2017270212/.

MLA citation style:

The American Omaha, Nebraska -1899. (Omaha, NE) 1 Jan. 1891. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, aj.sunback.homes/item/2017270212/.