Human Rights (journal)

Human Rights was a nineteenth-century American abolitionist journal associated with the organized antislavery movement. It was founded by Lewis Tappan and first appeared in July 1835, during a period when abolitionist societies were expanding their use of print to argue against slavery and promote the equal rights of Black Americans. The journal was published monthly by the American Anti-Slavery Society, one of the leading organizations in the American abolitionist movement. The publication's title expressed the broad moral and political framework of its cause: opposition to slavery was presented not merely as a sectional or economic dispute, but as a question of fundamental rights. In this respect, Human Rights belonged to the reform press of the antebellum United States, using periodical publication to circulate abolitionist arguments, movement perspectives, and information relevant to the campaign against slavery. The journal's documented publication run was brief. Its first issue appeared in July 1835, and the final issue was published in February 1839. No evidence in the supplied reference material establishes a later revival, continuation under another title, commercial ownership, or a surviving modern brand. It is therefore best classified as a defunct historical journal rather than an active media organization. Because the available reference material provides only basic bibliographic information, details such as circulation, editorial staff beyond the founder, place of publication, design, subscription price, article roster, and financial performance remain undocumented here. The journal's historical significance rests primarily on its role as an American Anti-Slavery Society publication and on its participation in the nineteenth-century abolitionist print network.

Human Rights emerged in the United States during the antebellum period, when abolitionist organizations increasingly relied on newspapers, journals, pamphlets, lectures, and petitions to challenge slavery. The journal was founded by Lewis Tappan, a prominent abolitionist associated with the American Anti-Slavery Society. Its creation reflected the movement's effort to maintain a regular print presence and to frame emancipation in universal moral and rights-based terms. The first issue was published in July 1835. The American Anti-Slavery Society served as the journal's publisher and issued it monthly. As an organizational periodical, Human Rights formed part of the broader abolitionist communications infrastructure: such publications enabled reformers to distribute arguments, report on the movement, and contest proslavery interpretations of law, religion, race, and citizenship. The available reference material does not identify the journal's complete editorial structure or provide a detailed issue-by-issue account, so claims about particular contributors or recurring departments cannot be established here. The journal continued for several years, with its last known issue appearing in February 1839. Its relatively short run places it among the temporary or specialized publications that supported the abolitionist movement before the Civil War. The end of publication does not by itself indicate the reason for closure; the supplied sources do not document whether the decision resulted from financial, organizational, editorial, or strategic considerations. Historically, Human Rights is distinct from modern organizations or publications that use the phrase “human rights.” Its identity is that of an American nineteenth-century abolitionist journal, not a contemporary international-rights institution or a general-interest media brand. The surviving bibliographic record establishes its founder, publisher, launch date, monthly frequency, and final issue, but leaves many operational details unknown. It is consequently best understood through its relationship to the American Anti-Slavery Society and to the broader abolitionist press.

• 1839

  Final issue

  [1]Human Rights (journal)en.wikipedia.org

  The last documented issue of Human Rights appeared in February 1839, ending the journal's known publication run.

• 1835

  First issue published

  [1]Human Rights (journal)en.wikipedia.org

  Human Rights began publication in July 1835 as an abolitionist journal founded by Lewis Tappan.

• 1835

  American Anti-Slavery Society publishing relationship established

  [1]Human Rights (journal)en.wikipedia.org

  The American Anti-Slavery Society published the journal as a monthly periodical supporting the abolitionist movement.

An abolitionist reform journal presenting opposition to slavery as a matter of fundamental human rights.

• Abolitionist periodical · 1835

  Human Rights monthly issues

  The journal's primary offering was a monthly printed issue devoted to abolitionist advocacy. Published by the American Anti-Slavery Society, the periodical helped circulate arguments against slavery and connect the language of emancipation with broader claims about human rights. The available sources do not provide a complete contents list, circulation figures, or detailed bibliographic specifications for individual issues.

• 1835Abolitionist print advocacy

  United States

  Human Rights supported the American abolitionist movement through regular publication and argumentation against slavery, presenting the cause in terms of universal rights.

  Outcome. The journal remained in publication until February 1839; the supplied sources do not document a separate campaign outcome.

  Source

1. 1Human Rights (journal)en.wikipedia.org