Lydia Maria Child

Abstract

This article examines Lydia Maria Child's editorship of the National Anti-Slavery Standard, the newspaper of the American Anti-Slavery Society, from 1841–43. Before becoming the editor, she edited her own magazine for children, worked with her husband at their newspaper, and wrote numerous fiction and nonfiction works for juveniles and adults. As an editor, she espoused objectivity, derided sensationalism, and applied her own inclusive formula for building circulation, emphasizing material with broad appeal to both men and women while reducing the emphasis on politics. She succeeded in doubling the Standard's circulation but did not satisfy the more strident members of the AASS, who wanted more militancy. She also introduced a popular personal column, “Letters to New-York,” which attracted wide attention.