Broadsides, affixed to the sides of buildings, were a means of advertising goods and services and spreading news to large numbers of people within a community. Among the items highlighted are nineteenth-century broadsides promoting opportunities for purchasing farms in the Midwest, and an advertisement that describes the features of the Colt revolver, a weapon credited with enabling settlers to prevail in conflicts with Native Americans. Another broadside recounts the experiences of white settlers captured by Native Americans in Illinois, representing a type of narrative often used to justify use of force against and displacement of indigenous peoples. Among the antislavery newspapers that circulated in the pre-Civil War period was the Freesoil Pioneer, published in Norwich; it advocated against extension of slavery to the western territories. To find more resources about westward expansion, use the topic headings and other keywords within records to extend your searches. Exploring the collections to which individual items belong can be another way to find more items of interest.
