Scholars generally estimate subscribers to Freedom s Journal (1827-1829), the United States" first African American newspaper, at around 800. based on subscriptions to the Rights of AIL an African American newspaper founded in 1829 as a successor to Freedom s Journal by a former editor of that newspaper. But Gross argues that many more than 800 readers probably subscribed to Freedom s Journal because many of its subscribers, dissatisfied with the direction ultimately taken by the paper, refused to subscribe to the Rights of All. In any case, the figure of 800 subscribers would make the circulation of Freedom s Journal close to that of other weekly papers of the time Its number of readers, however, would have been much larger: copies were often shared. and African American organizations subscribed to Freedom s Journal, providing nonsubscribers access to the paper

African American organizations' subscriptions to Freedom s Journal are mentioned in the passage primarily in order to.