“American race prejudice must be destroyed.” That was the slogan of the Chicago Defender. Today we’re standing before the Robert S. Abbott House. It was the home of the newspaper’s founder. The Robert S. Abbott House stands on Chicago’s South Side.
Robert S. Abbott founded The Chicago Defender in 1905. It started as a weekly newspaper. Its target audience was the African American community. The Chicago Defender grew to be a major periodical in the U.S. Langston Hughes wrote for it. Gwendolyn Brooks contributed too. Willard Motley was also among its notable contributors.
The newspaper tackled social issues. It critiqued Southern lynchings. It also took on Jim Crow laws. The Chicago Defender gave voice to those suffering injustice. It started debates about racial inequality.
Abbott bought this house in 1926. It’s located at 4742 South Grand Boulevard. The street is now King Drive. He lived here until he died in 1940. The Robert S. Abbott House gained National Historic Landmark status in 1976. It also became a Chicago Tribute Marker of Distinction. Today it is a private residence. Please respect the owner’s privacy.
The Defender played a vital role during the Great Migration. This was when Blacks moved from the South to the North. The paper painted the North as a place of prosperity and justice. Robert Abbott’s stepfather, John Sengstacke, also wrote for the paper. His stories encouraged people to leave the South. John displayed pictures of Chicago. He also made space for housing ads. Robert wrote about the injustices in the South.
The Defender didn’t just report on the Great Migration. It helped to bring it about. The Chicago Defender wanted to destroy American race prejudice. By 1916, its circulation was 50,000. By 1918, it jumped to 125,000. In the early 1920s, it exceeded 200,000. The Defender became “America’s Black Newspaper”. Abbott became one of the first self-made African-American millionaires.
The Robert S. Abbott House has an interesting architectural style. It combines Late Victorian and Neo-Classical elements. The house was built around 1900. It is the left side of an asymmetrical duplex. The units share a hip roof. The left side features a large gabled section. The entrance is sheltered under a side porch. The interior has been divided into separate living spaces. However some original features remain.
The Defender shifted to a weekly format in 2003. A new ownership group took over. This group included Sengstacke heirs. The newspaper continues to be a leading voice in the African American community.
So next time you read about history, remember Robert S. Abbott. Remember his house. Remember the Chicago Defender. One man’s vision can challenge a nation.