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Washington Bee

April 14, 2024

The Washington Bee was a Washington, D.C.-based American weekly newspaper founded in 1882 and primarily read by African Americans[2]. Throughout almost all of its forty-year history, it was edited by African American lawyer-journalist William Calvin Chase. The newspaper was aligned with the Republican Party. It was published, with gaps in 1893 and 1895, until 1922, shortly after editor Chase's death.[3]

The Washington Bee
The Washington Bee – May 29, 1886
TypeWeekly newspaper
FormatBroadsheet
Owner(s)Bee Publishing Company
PublisherBee Publishing Company
EditorWilliam Calvin Chase
FoundedJune 3, 1882 (1882-06-03)
LanguageAmerican English
Ceased publicationJanuary 21, 1922 (1922-01-21)
Headquarters1109 I Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20005[1]
CountryUnited States
ISSN1940-7424
OCLC number10587828

History edit

1882–1922 weekly edit

The Bee's publication history coincided with a two-generation period of American history during which the political roles of African Americans were sharply constrained by the politically reactionary Redeemers. Successful professional-level African Americans, such as editor Chase, faced ceaseless political battles in order to hold on to the limited gains made in previous generations. Chase's editorials at first criticized accommodationist black leaders such as Booker T. Washington, but later made peace with the influential Tuskegee leader. The Bee shared the Washington, D.C. market with a rival weekly, the Colored American, and Washington's private papers indicate that he and his network provided financial support to both news sheets.[3][4][5]

The Bee's nameplate slogan was "Sting for Our Enemies – Honey for Our Friends", and according to the Library of Congress, "the Bee represented the Republican attitudes of its editor, although Chase did not hesitate to criticize Republican Party leaders when he thought they were on the wrong side of an issue."[3]

The Bee′s circulation numbers are unknown but were never large; the highest figure given is 9,700 in 1922. That was the year the Bee ceased publication, unable to survive the death of its editor in 1921.[3]

Other contemporaneous papers that served a similar demographic clientele included the Colored American, Grit, People's Advocate,[6] Washington American, and Washington Eagle.[1] There were nearly 75 other historical newspapers in the District of Columbia.[7]

Layout and price edit

The Washington Bee was a six-column broadsheet, typical of the newspapers of its day. An issue from May 1886, illustrated here, depicts the weekly's typical layout. At least two front-page columns were devoted to display and classified advertising, with much of the remaining four columns used for brief references and updates about continuing news stories with which it was assumed that newspaper subscribers would already be familiar. In May 1886, the Bee was priced at five cents for a single issue, with a subscription costing $2.00 a year.

The Bee′s acceptance of advertising necessitated active acceptance of the overall social customs of its day, including residential segregation. For example, in a June 1893 display advertisement, developers in Bowie, Maryland, touted what they called:

The first opportunity offered colored people to secure Homes on Weekly payments of 50 cents a week or Two Dollars per month – 1000 Lots For Sale – In the city of Bowie, State of Maryland. Only 20 minutes ride from Washington. Double track. 22 trains stop daily. Fare to and from Washington, only Six cents by commutation ticket.[8]

National influence edit

Even though African American residents of Washington did not have a formal voice in national affairs, as the District of Columbia lacked congressional representation and votes in the presidential Electoral College, Chase and the Bee could speak out informally; and the Library of Congress believes that the Bee was "one of the most influential African American newspapers in the country."[3]

The Bee wielded its influence through carefully worded editorial content. This is an extract from a newspaper editorial published in March 1912, celebrating the appointment of Mahlon Pitney to the Supreme Court of the United States:

The appointment of Chancellor Mahlon Pitney, of New Jersey, as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, to succeed the late Justice Harlan, is well received by all classes of our citizens. He is given a 'clean bill of health' by the colored New Jerseyites at the Capital, and is said to be a jurist and statesman of lofty character and attainments. The appointment of a man of the type of Justice Pitney is all the more welcome because it marked the defeat of Judge W.C. Hook, who, until the exposure of his record in the 'jim-crow' car cases, had the position practically within his grasp. The rejection of Hook illustrates the power of judicious protest, as the colored people, and many white citizens, literally bombarded the White House with objections to the misguided Kansan, until his designation became impossible. Justice Pitney enters upon his career with the best wishes of the colored people of the nation.[9]

Typical coverage edit

The Washington Bee would sometimes accord significant coverage to news stories involving crime, including criminal acts that did not involve the African American community. Examples include a June 1893 Bee "lede", or lead paragraph, describing the Lizzie Borden case:

The trial of one of the most sensational murder cases of modern times began on Monday at Fall River, Mass. Lizzie Borden, a young woman of 27 years, is held to answer for the murder of her father, Andrew J. Borden, 68 years of age, and her step-mother, Mrs. Abbie Borden, her father's second wife. The tragedy was inexpressibly fiendish and bloody. Both victims were killed by blows of a hatchet or axe, and were terribly mutilated by repeated blows.[8]

Current status edit

The Library of Congress has archived issues of the Bee from August 2, 1884, onward until the cessation of publication in 1922.[3] Another source is the Genealogy bank.[7][10]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Washington Bee Newspaper Office Site/W. Calvin Chase". African American Heritage Trail. Cultural Tourism DC. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  2. ^ Danky, James Philip; Hady, Maureen E. (1998). African-American newspapers and periodicals : a national bibliography. Mark Graham. Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press. p. 602. ISBN 978-0-674-00788-8.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "About the Washington Bee (Washington, D.C.) 1884–1922". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2012-10-18.
  4. ^ Harlan (ed.), Louis R. (1980). The Booker T. Washington Papers, vol. 8. Urbana, Ill.: University of Illinois Press. pp. 522–23, 526, 581. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ Harlan, Louis R., ed. (1981). The Booker T. Washington Papers, vol. 10. Urbana, Ill.: University of Illinois Press. p. 551.
  6. ^ Muir, Jayne (2001). "The People's Advocate (Chehalis, WA: 1892–1900)". Labor Press Project. University of Washington.
  7. ^ a b Robbins, Miriam J. (2009–2011). "District of Columbia Online Historical Newspapers". District of Columbia Online Historical Directories. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
  8. ^ a b "The Washington Bee, June 10, 1893, Image 4". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  9. ^ "The Washington Bee, March 02, 1912, Image 5". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2012-10-24.
  10. ^ "Newspapers". Genealogy bank. Retrieved October 25, 2012.

Further reading edit

  • Chase, Hal Scripps (1973). 'Honey for Friends, Stings for Enemies': William Calvin Chase and the Washington Bee, 1882–1921. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
  • McQuirter, Marya Annette (2000). Claiming the City: African Americans, Urbanization and Leisure in Washington, D.C., 1902–1954 (Thesis). University of Michigan. (Ph.D. dissertation)

Archives, curated collections, and reproductions edit

WorldCat (OCLC)
  1. 2776152; digital (Chronicling America)
  2. 730002768; digital (Chronicling America)
  3. 730029337; microform
  4. 312984063; microform (19 reels)
  5. 10587828 (1884–1922); digital-online
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
  1. 1940-7424 (1884–1922); digital (Chronicling America)
Library of Congress Control Number
  1. LCCN sn84-25891 (1884–1922) (digital versions, searchable online via Chronicling America database)

April 14, 2024
washington, washington, based, american, weekly, newspaper, founded, 1882, primarily, read, african, americans, throughout, almost, forty, year, history, edited, african, american, lawyer, journalist, william, calvin, chase, newspaper, aligned, with, republica. The Washington Bee was a Washington D C based American weekly newspaper founded in 1882 and primarily read by African Americans 2 Throughout almost all of its forty year history it was edited by African American lawyer journalist William Calvin Chase The newspaper was aligned with the Republican Party It was published with gaps in 1893 and 1895 until 1922 shortly after editor Chase s death 3 The Washington BeeThe Washington Bee May 29 1886TypeWeekly newspaperFormatBroadsheetOwner s Bee Publishing CompanyPublisherBee Publishing CompanyEditorWilliam Calvin ChaseFoundedJune 3 1882 1882 06 03 LanguageAmerican EnglishCeased publicationJanuary 21 1922 1922 01 21 Headquarters1109 I Street NWWashington D C 20005 1 CountryUnited StatesISSN1940 7424OCLC number10587828Media of the United StatesList of newspapers Contents 1 History 1 1 1882 1922 weekly 1 2 Layout and price 1 3 National influence 1 4 Typical coverage 2 Current status 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 5 1 Archives curated collections and reproductionsHistory edit1882 1922 weekly edit The Bee s publication history coincided with a two generation period of American history during which the political roles of African Americans were sharply constrained by the politically reactionary Redeemers Successful professional level African Americans such as editor Chase faced ceaseless political battles in order to hold on to the limited gains made in previous generations Chase s editorials at first criticized accommodationist black leaders such as Booker T Washington but later made peace with the influential Tuskegee leader The Bee shared the Washington D C market with a rival weekly the Colored American and Washington s private papers indicate that he and his network provided financial support to both news sheets 3 4 5 The Bee s nameplate slogan was Sting for Our Enemies Honey for Our Friends and according to the Library of Congress the Bee represented the Republican attitudes of its editor although Chase did not hesitate to criticize Republican Party leaders when he thought they were on the wrong side of an issue 3 The Bee s circulation numbers are unknown but were never large the highest figure given is 9 700 in 1922 That was the year the Bee ceased publication unable to survive the death of its editor in 1921 3 Other contemporaneous papers that served a similar demographic clientele included the Colored American Grit People s Advocate 6 Washington American and Washington Eagle 1 There were nearly 75 other historical newspapers in the District of Columbia 7 Layout and price edit The Washington Bee was a six column broadsheet typical of the newspapers of its day An issue from May 1886 illustrated here depicts the weekly s typical layout At least two front page columns were devoted to display and classified advertising with much of the remaining four columns used for brief references and updates about continuing news stories with which it was assumed that newspaper subscribers would already be familiar In May 1886 the Bee was priced at five cents for a single issue with a subscription costing 2 00 a year The Bee s acceptance of advertising necessitated active acceptance of the overall social customs of its day including residential segregation For example in a June 1893 display advertisement developers in Bowie Maryland touted what they called The first opportunity offered colored people to secure Homes on Weekly payments of 50 cents a week or Two Dollars per month 1000 Lots For Sale In the city of Bowie State of Maryland Only 20 minutes ride from Washington Double track 22 trains stop daily Fare to and from Washington only Six cents by commutation ticket 8 National influence edit Even though African American residents of Washington did not have a formal voice in national affairs as the District of Columbia lacked congressional representation and votes in the presidential Electoral College Chase and the Bee could speak out informally and the Library of Congress believes that the Bee was one of the most influential African American newspapers in the country 3 The Bee wielded its influence through carefully worded editorial content This is an extract from a newspaper editorial published in March 1912 celebrating the appointment of Mahlon Pitney to the Supreme Court of the United States The appointment of Chancellor Mahlon Pitney of New Jersey as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court to succeed the late Justice Harlan is well received by all classes of our citizens He is given a clean bill of health by the colored New Jerseyites at the Capital and is said to be a jurist and statesman of lofty character and attainments The appointment of a man of the type of Justice Pitney is all the more welcome because it marked the defeat of Judge W C Hook who until the exposure of his record in the jim crow car cases had the position practically within his grasp The rejection of Hook illustrates the power of judicious protest as the colored people and many white citizens literally bombarded the White House with objections to the misguided Kansan until his designation became impossible Justice Pitney enters upon his career with the best wishes of the colored people of the nation 9 Typical coverage edit The Washington Bee would sometimes accord significant coverage to news stories involving crime including criminal acts that did not involve the African American community Examples include a June 1893 Bee lede or lead paragraph describing the Lizzie Borden case The trial of one of the most sensational murder cases of modern times began on Monday at Fall River Mass Lizzie Borden a young woman of 27 years is held to answer for the murder of her father Andrew J Borden 68 years of age and her step mother Mrs Abbie Borden her father s second wife The tragedy was inexpressibly fiendish and bloody Both victims were killed by blows of a hatchet or axe and were terribly mutilated by repeated blows 8 Current status editThe Library of Congress has archived issues of the Bee from August 2 1884 onward until the cessation of publication in 1922 3 Another source is the Genealogy bank 7 10 See also editThe Afro American Newspaper List of newspapers in Washington D C Newspapers founded in Washington D C during the 18th and 19th centuriesReferences edit a b Washington Bee Newspaper Office Site W Calvin Chase African American Heritage Trail Cultural Tourism DC Retrieved 30 October 2020 Danky James Philip Hady Maureen E 1998 African American newspapers and periodicals a national bibliography Mark Graham Cambridge Mass Harvard University Press p 602 ISBN 978 0 674 00788 8 a b c d e f About the Washington Bee Washington D C 1884 1922 Library of Congress Retrieved 2012 10 18 Harlan ed Louis R 1980 The Booker T Washington Papers vol 8 Urbana Ill University of Illinois Press pp 522 23 526 581 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a last has generic name help Harlan Louis R ed 1981 The Booker T Washington Papers vol 10 Urbana Ill University of Illinois Press p 551 Muir Jayne 2001 The People s Advocate Chehalis WA 1892 1900 Labor Press Project University of Washington a b Robbins Miriam J 2009 2011 District of Columbia Online Historical Newspapers District of Columbia Online Historical Directories Retrieved 2012 10 21 a b The Washington Bee June 10 1893 Image 4 Library of Congress Retrieved 2012 10 25 The Washington Bee March 02 1912 Image 5 Library of Congress Retrieved 2012 10 24 Newspapers Genealogy bank Retrieved October 25 2012 Further reading editChase Hal Scripps 1973 Honey for Friends Stings for Enemies William Calvin Chase and the Washington Bee 1882 1921 Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania Press McQuirter Marya Annette 2000 Claiming the City African Americans Urbanization and Leisure in Washington D C 1902 1954 Thesis University of Michigan Ph D dissertation Archives curated collections and reproductions edit WorldCat OCLC 2776152 digital Chronicling America 730002768 digital Chronicling America 730029337 microform312984063 microform 19 reels 10587828 1884 1922 digital online International Standard Serial Number ISSN 1940 7424 1884 1922 digital Chronicling America Library of Congress Control NumberLCCN sn84 25891 1884 1922 digital versions searchable online via Chronicling America database Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Washington Bee amp oldid 1218837199, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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