Abstract
Strangers and Natives: A Newspaper Narrative of Early Jewish America, 1734 –1869 focuses on the daily life and customs of the Jewish community and the Jewish people; the formation of Jewish congregations and organizations; and the involvement of Jews in education, literature, journalism, politics, the marketplace, the military, and history itself. While there are numerous historical accounts of early American Jewry quoting documents, diaries and memoirs, this is the first that uses periodicals from that time period. Using scans of the original newsprint, most from the author’s own extensive collection, Strangers and Natives displays the actual written words – the first blush of history – in visual form.