The Newsies Strike of 1899

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In the summer of 1899, young New York newspaper sellers ('newsies') took a stand against publishing magnates Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. In this episode, Christine looks at the causes, events, and outcome of the strike, as well as how it inspired a Disney cult classic film almost a century later.

Host: Christine

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Further Reading

“Brooklyn Newsboys Attend Manhattan Mass Meeting,” The Standard Union, (25 Jul. 1899), p. 3.

Vincent DiGirolamo. Crying the News: A History of America’s Newsboys. Oxford University Press, (2019).

David Langbart, "Department of State Records Relating to the Destruction of the USS MAINE." National Archives (9 Mar. 2023).

David Nasaw. Children of the City: At Work and At Play. E-book ed., Anchor Books, (1985).
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"New York Newsboys' Strike." The Times, (23 Jul. 1899), p. 1.

"Newsboys Aggressive: A Morning Attack." The Evening Post. (22 Jul. 1899), p. 1.

"Newsboys' Strike Swells." The Sun. (23 Jul. 1899), p. 2.

“The Only Tie-Up in Town.” The Sun, (21 Jul. 1899), p.2.

Amy S. Osatinski, Disney Theatrical Productions: Producing Broadway Musicals the Disney Way. Routledge, (2019).

Grady Smith. “The cult of ‘Newsies’.” Entertainment Weekly, (11 May 2012).

​The Spanish-American War, via Library of Congress.

The Spanish-American War, via Office of the Historian, US Department of State.

“Strike That is a Strike.” The Sun, (22 Jul. 1899), p. 3.

US Diplomacy and Yellow Journalism, 1895-1898, via Office of the Historian, US Department of State

Fiction/Film
Newsies. Directed by Kenny Ortega. Walt Disney Pictures and Touchwood Pacific Partners, (1992).

Newsies: The Broadway Musical! Directed by Jeff Calhoun and Brett Sullivan. Disney Theatrical Productions, (2017).

Music: "Evening Melodrama" by Kevin Macleod (www.incompetech.com)