The Philanthropist (Cincinnati, Ohio)

The Philanthropist was an abolitionist newspaper printed in Cincinnati, Ohio starting in 1836, edited by James G. Birney and published by a printer named Achilles Pugh for the Ohio chapter of the Anti-Slavery Society.

Originally published at New Richmond, Ohio due to complications with Cincinnati mayor Samuel W. Davies, the paper moved to Cincinnati in April 1836 to resume publication. The plan had always involved Cincinnati, but Birney wanted to publish a few issues out of the jurisdiction of Davies first. The paper often gave readers two sides of an argument. He would print news items from the South that were proslavery and then critique them.

The paper was the target of at least two episodes of mob violence in the city. The second incident occurred on July 30, 1836, when rioters broke into the printing offices of the paper and vandalized the interior, scattering the types throughout the streets. The mob continued to the Pugh's house and the residence of Birney, leaving both places undisturbed. They returned to the offices and debated on whether to burn the material, deciding not to as they were worried the homes in the area may also catch fire.

They proceeded to the offices of Charles Hammond, editor of the Cincinnati Daily Gazette. Hammond was an ally of Birney insofar as free speech was concerned, though himself was not an abolitionist. Deciding against action on the Gazette offices, the mob dispersed to the black areas of town and began vandalizing the area when gunfire erupted. After brief dispersal, the mob returned to the area and found abandoned homes, which they proceeded to enter and deface. At this point mayor Samuel W. Davies, who had watched the destruction of the office earlier, instructed the crowd to disperse.