1775-1800

Captain Kidd and Piracy

This extraordinary document details how the notorious privateer Captain Kidd double-crossed the King of England.

The Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery

The Pennsylvania Abolition Society, founded in 1775, was the first organization dedicated to the abolition of slavery. The first page of this document contains the Golden Rule, popular with many abolitionist groups: "All Things whatsoever ye would that Men should do to you, do ye even for to them."

Life without Liberty

This letter was written by John Morin Scott, founder of the New York Sons of Liberty, to Richard Varick, the future mayor of New York, in November of 1775, as he waited for the American Revolution to reach the city. He welcomed the fight, stating: "Who can prize life without Liberty? - It is a Bauble only fit to be thrown away."

In Love and War: Henry and Lucy Knox

When twenty-six-year-old Henry Knox, the Continental Army’s artillery commander, penned this letter to his wife, Lucy, patriot morale was at a low point.

Henry Knox's Orders for the March to Trenton

On Christmas Eve in 1776 the American Revolution was on the verge of collapsing. Washington knew that a victory was needed to raise Americans' decimated morale and turn the tide of war.

Mutiny

The plot to either kidnap or assassinate George Washington was never close to reaching its lofty goals, but it did point toward disaffection in the Continental Army.

The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence called for recognition of fundamental rights that demanded protection. The Revolution secured American Independence and the Constitution codified a means to maintain American liberty. Alexander Hamilton may not have signed the Declaration, but he certainly left his imprimatur on the new government it promised.

Letter from the Home Front

Lucy Knox wrote this letter to her husband Henry in May 1777. She reports on the family's health and events in Boston to Henry who is on the battlefield.

The Amaricans are Challing: A Colonial Child’s Exclamation

Carefully written in a youth’s unsteady hand, the text of this document appears to be a transcription of a popular camp song from the Revolutionary era.

George Washington to New Hampshire, December 29, 1777

George Washington's words in this letter represent a stirring plea for help at the darkest moment of the American Revolution. This famous letter illustrates Valley Forge as an icon of American perseverance and resolve in the face of cruel fortune and overwhelming odds.

"To be thus monopolized, by a little nut-brown maid like you"

In this intimate letter to Elizabeth Schuyler, Hamilton casts himself as both a lover and a statesman. His charm succeeded and the two were married on December 14, 1780 at Betsey's family home near Albany, New York.

John Stark: War, Family, and Betrayal

"Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils." These striking words, written in 1809 by the outspoken General John Stark to a group of Revolutionary War veterans, sum up the conviction to principle that this grizzled war hero possessed.

"The want of money makes us want everything else"

In his letter to a French diplomat, Hamilton cannot refute his ally's gloomy view of the war. By October 1780 Hamilton was discouraged by the apparent apathy of the American people and the ineffectuality of their elected representatives, as well as by the recent discover of Benedict Arnold's treachery.

A Circular Letter from George Washington

This broadside includes General George Washington's last circular to the states as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. The broadside is titled "His Excellency General Washington's Last Legacy.

"I never mean... to possess another slave by purchase"

Among all the well known founders who were major slaveholders at the time of the Revolution, George Washington was the only one who actually ended up freeing his slaves. But Washington never spoke out publicly against the institution of slavery. Instead, he arrived at his conclusion that slavery was immoral and inconsistent with the ideals of the American Revolution gradually, privately, and with difficulty.

The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States

Where the draft's opening reflects the sense of the thirteen states as separate entities, the final version's "We the People of the United States" invokes the Hamiltonian vision of a united nation.

"That MONSTER, the Constitution."

This unique copy of the Constitution, printed in the early spring of 1788 by Claxton and Babcock in Albany, New York, can be seen as a last minute offensive by the Federalists to garner support for the proposed government.

David Dundas and the Regency Crisis of 1789

In January, 1789, after several months without communication, David Dundas wrote a letter to his brother. The letter describes how Dundas had been consumed by "going every other day to Windsor, sitting up all night," tending to King George III's delirium.

Martha Washington to Francis B. Washington

In one of Martha Washington's earliest known letters, she shows conflicting feelings about balancing her family life with her role as a political wife.

"Heaven Alone Can Foretell"

In this April 1789 letter to General Henry Knox, George Washington's friend from the Continental Army who now served as Secretary of War, Washington accepts the inevitability of his election to the presidency, but with remarkable reluctance.

"The expediency of encouraging manufactures in the United States...appears at this time to be pretty generally admitted"

Hamilton offered a remarkably modern economic vision based on investment, industry, and expanded commerce. Most strikingly, it was an economic vision with no place for slavery.

Provisional Army Orders Detailing Ceremony in Honor of George Washington's Death

Washington could have never held back the outpouring of national grief despite his specific request to "be Interred in a private manner, without parade, or funeral Oration."

The "Three Fifths Clause"

This broadside detailing data from the 1800 census in New York provides a sense of the pervasiveness of slavery, even in a northern state like New York.

Hamilton vs. The Partisan Press.

Alexander Hamilton made verbal jousting in the press a venerated American tradition. He took full advantage of the freedom of the press outlined in the Bill of Rights, as did his innumerable enemies.

"Jefferson is in my view less dangerous than Burr"

This letter is one of a stream that Hamilton sent fellow Federalists during the deadlock that followed the election of 1800. They were among the most consequential Hamilton ever wrote, for both Hamilton and the nation.

Hamilton Defends the Life of an Innocent British Soldier

Mere months after Cornwallis' surrender, in the summer of 1782, George Washington ordered the execution of an innocent British officer. Alexander Hamilton, hoping such a "repugnant" act could be avoided, wrote to Henry Knox in June discussing the General's plans.


Revolutionary War Pay Warrant to an African American Soldier

During the Revolutionary War, both the British and the American forces actively recruited African American men. At first, Congress and General George Washington were reluctant to officially enlist African Americans into the Continental Army, though they actively served in state militias. Sharp Liberty's military pay warrant demonstrates the active participation of African Americans in the fight for American independence.

Map of Lewis and Clark's Journey across the Western Part of America

A Northerner's View of Slavery in the South

In 1821, a young woman named Aurelia Hale traveled from Hartford, Connecticut to Washington County, Georgia, to serve as a schoolteacher.  Miss Hale was pleasantly surprised by Southern manners and finds their way of life most agreeable.

Thomas Jefferson and the War of 1812

During this tirade of American nationalism, Thomas Jefferson denounces the blustering of certain members of the British House of Lords who blamed the War of 1812 on U.S. aggression.

Political Intrigue and the Electoral College

The Jeffersonians felt threatened by Burr's ambition and took out an insurance policy with the passage of the 12th amendment.

"The advice comes with double force"

Written to his son-in-law on Friday, July 20, 1804, nine days after his duel with Alexander Hamilton, this letter offers the possibility that hidden in the mystery of his cipher lie Burr's genuine motives, plans, and feelings at this critical moment in American history.

"General Hamilton was this morning woun[d]ed by that wretch Burr"

Mere hours after the duel, Angelica Church writes in haste to her brother Philip Schuyler to break the news to him, expressing her futile hope that Hamilton would recover. The hasty scrawl of her handwriting suggests the degree of her distress.

Injured Humanity

Printed in 1805 by Samuel Wood, a prolific Quaker-reformist publisher, this broadside describes and depicts the atrocious treatment of slaves.

Thomas Jefferson on Politics & Principles

Apart from his authorship of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson is best known to us through his letters. A conscientious correspondent both as a public servant and private citizen, Jefferson's letters over a period of some 65 years number in the tens of thousands, many of which are still unpublished. But their numbers are less notable than their wide-ranging and highly quotable content, which is matched by the skill and precision with which he wrote.

Written a week after the incident, this account of the Chehaw Affair is important for both its description of how 230 militiamen killed "seven men… one woman and two children" and its role in shaping Jackson's response to the massacre.

Rufus King and the Missouri Controversy

In 1819 a courageous group of Northern congressmen and senators opened up a debate on slavery, a topic on which Congress had remained silent since 1790. That silence was shattered by Missouri's request to enter the Union as a slave state.

1826-1850

The American Colonization Society

When James Madison signed this membership certificate as president of the American Colonization Society in 1833, the organization's effort to repatriate America's free black population to Africa had been underway for over a decade.

Letter from Robert E. Lee to John MacKay

This gossipy and whimsical letter captures the intimate friendship between Robert E. Lee and John MacKay. As this letter demonstrates, MacKay was one of the few people with whom Lee felt comfortable enough to share his humorous side.

John Quincy Adams and the Amistad Case

Abolitionists enlisted former U.S. President John Quincy Adams to represent the Amistad captives' petition for freedom before the Supreme Court. Adams, then a 73-year-old U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts, had in recent years fought tirelessly against Congress's "gag rule" banning anti-slavery petitions. Here, with characteristic humility, Adams accepts the job of representing the Amistad captives, hoping he will "do justice to their cause."

1851-1875

Harriet Beecher Stowe to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Brunswick

In this letter, Stowe acknowledges the "less enlightened times" of England and the United States in their treatment of black slaves. She appeals to the sympathetic hearts of the British people and their Queen writing "the author is encouraged by the thought that beneath the royal insignia of England throbs that woman’s and mother’s heart."

Slavery vs. States' Rights

Historians have long debated whether Southern secession was motivated primarily by a desire to defend slavery or an attempt to protect states' rights. As early as 1851, when he wrote this letter (GLC09070), Gideon Welles had concluded that Southern Democrats were more concerned with the former of these issues.

Terror in Reconstruction South

Founded by a Confederate General in 1866, the Ku Klux Klan became known as the "invisible empire of the South" in which members represented the ghosts of the Confederate dead returning to terrorize blacks and Republicans.

Lincoln Honors Wilberforce and the Abolitionist Cause

Lincoln eloquently states his opposition to slavery as an inhumane practice in this undated speech fragment believed to be from the Lincoln-Douglas Senate race of 1858.

"The whole land is full of blood."

These ominous words were uttered by James W. C. Pennington, the former slave and noted abolitionist, in the wake of Thomas Sims's infamous trial.

Two Letters Regarding Bleeding Kansas

In the years leading up to the Civil War, nothing was more hotly contested than the issue of slavery. The struggle known as "Bleeding Kansas" was the most violent manifestation of this quarrel, and the most controversial figure on either side of this bitter debate was John Brown.

"I Love You, But Hate Slavery"

On October 4, 1857, Frederick Douglass wrote an extraordinary letter to his former master, Hugh Auld. At the heart of this letter, written when Douglass was 39 and already famous as an abolitionist leader, is the great man's effort to recover facts and dates from his childhood.

Choosing A Life of Slavery

These recently discovered court documents stem from a 1858 Texas state legislature act "to permit Free persons of African Descent, to select their own Master and become Slaves." Research has revealed that coercion was often used to compel free African Americans to choose a master, but the full story that led these three to decide to forfeit their freedom remains untold.

The Harsh Business of Slavery

The harsh business of slavery is the subject of this letter from Mrs. N. C. Battle to her daughter. Battle bluntly writes about a massive slave sale organized in 1860 after a relative's estate was willed to several family members.

Corncob Doll

Enslaved families sought to provide children with some pleasures despite their small means. This handmade doll can be seen as a symbol of that desire.

"In the End You Are Sure to Succeed"

In one of Lincoln's most accomplished personal letters, he writes to George Clayton Latham, a friend of his son Robert, on perseverance. This gem of optimistic correspondence testifies as eloquently to Lincoln's own perseverance, discipline, and uncompromising work ethic as it does to his extraordinary ability to inspire others.

The Thirteenth Amendment: Opposing Visions

In the wake of the 1860 presidential election, but before Lincoln's inaguration, President James Buchanan asked Congress to draw up a constitutional amendment. The proposed amendment, an attempt to mollify the South, explicitly protected the rights of slaveholders to maintain their human property.

Allan Pinkerton and the Attempted Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

In this extraordinary document, private detective Allan Pinkerton describes his role in thwarting an attempted assassination of President-elect Abraham Lincoln.

"I doubt whether we should have had a real Union but for Hamilton; I think you must know that Jefferson would never have given us one."

Written in 1861, this letter from Horace Greeley to Henry Stephens Randall emphasizes Alexander Hamilton's role in building a strong federal government and stable economy.

Brisbin's Escape: James S. Brisbin's letter to Jane Brisbin

Rash heroism and extraordinary fortune contributed to Union Captain James Brisbin's audacious escape from Confederate forces after being caught behind enemy lines.

Lincoln Refuses to Commute Sentence of Execution for Slave Trading

Although President Lincoln does not directly attack slavery in this document, his stern stance highlights that he is no longer the man who had recently promised never to interfere with slavery in the South.

The Origins of Underwater Warfare: A Description of an Early Submarine Attack

Civil War combat foreshadowed the harsh warfare to follow in the twentieth century with the introduction of the machine gun, repeater rifles, trench warfare, and the use of trains to quickly move troops. However, one of the more celebrated tactical innovations of the war was the use of submarines by the Confederate Navy.

Union Soldier Turns Medic on the Gettysburg Battlefield

Private Elbert Corbin of the First New York Light Artillery was thrust into an unexpected role when he was ordered to remain behind and take care of his fallen comrades. In this rare letter, penned by this soldier turned medic, Corbin provides extraordinary detail of his quick rudimentary training that helped in assisting his wounded compatriots.

The Western Sanitary Commission

In 1863, members of the WSC traveled to the Mississippi Valley and witnessed mass suffering among the newly liberated slaves there. Commission officers wrote to President Lincoln seeking a role for private charities in a relief effort.

Diary of a Black Soldier in the 8th U.S. Colored Troops,
Company G

William P. Woodlin, a musician in Company G of the 8^th Regiment of the United States Colored Troops (8^th USCT), compiled a 123-page diary describing his military service from November 1863 to December 1864. His near daily reports, told in a stoic and detached voice, provide a window into the life of African American soldiers on the front line.

Earn For Yourselves The Lasting Love of Your Country

General Robert E. Lee drafted this inspirational speech (GLC04429) on the reverse side of a telegram. He intended to boost the morale of his troops in the midst of a horrendous string of battles in 1864.

Letter from a Soldier in the 54th Massachusetts

The author of this letter, Francis H. Fletcher, was a black soldier in the renowned 54th Massachusetts Regiment of Colored Troops. Fletcher offers a rare personal view of the discrimination faced by black soldiers during the Civil War.

"... we Cannot indulge in grief however mournful yet pleasing."

In this beautifully written letter, Robert E. Lee attempts to console his son on the loss of his son's wife. The letter demonstrates the tremendous emotion Lee felt for his family and offers a glimpse of the strength that carried Lee through the war.

Surrendering in a Sentence

On the morning of April 9, 1865, Robert E. Lee conceded defeat in a mere sentence sent to Ulysses S. Grant. In this document, Lee requests "a suspension of hostilities pending the discussion of the terms of surrender." An endorsement by General Edward O.C. Ord on the lower fold, made at 11:55 AM, indicates that the letter was read and acted upon.

Lincoln's Final Letter Home

This letter is the last surviving hand-written correspondence between President Lincoln and Mary Todd. Far from a personal missive between husband and wife, the letter reads like a military dispatch, updating Mrs. Lincoln on the advances of the Army of the Potomac and forecasting the fall of the Confederacy.

The Assassination of President Lincoln

On April 14th, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot in the back of the head by John Wilkes Booth while attending a play at Ford's Theater in Washington D.C. The next day, Secretary of War Edwin McMasters Stanton telegrammed this message to General John A. Dix in New York, where it was printed on newspapers and posters.

"Your Late Lamented Husband"

Following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, widow Mary Todd Lincoln sent Frederick Douglass the President's "favorite walking staff." In his remarkable letter of reply, Douglass assured the First Lady that he would forever possess the cane as an "object of sacred interest," not only for himself, but because of Mr. Lincoln's "humane interest in the welfare of my whole race."

Letter from Mary Todd Lincoln after the White House

Mary Todd Lincoln's years in the White House were a combination of triumph and tragedy. Never fully accepted by the public and vilified by the press for overspending, her tenure as first lady was unstable at best. After the death of her twelve year old son Willie in 1862, the assassination of President Lincoln shattered the first lady's already fragile state. To compound the matter, Mary was held personally liable for the debts she and the President incurred for improvements to the White House.

1876-1900

President Garfield's Assassin Speaks

Charles Julius Guiteau wrote this poem (GLC06319) while on trial for the assassination of President James Garfield. Intended for publication in the Washington Star, the poem attempts to justify the murder and pleads for mercy.

Frank James to Anna and Robert James

As a member of the notorious James-Younger Gang, Frank James participated in an estimated twelve robberies between 1866 and 1881. The following letter, written on August 15th, 1882, in the wilderness (possibly in Tennessee or Missouri), adds an emotional dimension to his image as a rugged outlaw.

Mormon Women's Protest 1886

On Saturday, March 6, 1886, two thousand Mormon women gathered at the Salt Lake Theatre to protest the "indignities and insults heaped upon them as wives and daughters of Mormons" in Utah district courts.

Frederick Douglass and the Reality of Jim Crow

In 1887, Douglass wrote to an unknown recipient news that "colored Lawyers are admitted to practice in Southern Courts." He went on to outline the many instances of inequality in educational opportunities for African Americans in the South.

1901-1925

Letter by Theodore Roosevelt Regarding Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines

This letter, to William H. Hunt, Governor of the recently annexed island of Puerto Rico, illuminates turn-of-the-century internal party politics while highlighting the new president's struggle to develop his own foreign policy.

A Hundred Years After the Fall: Recollections of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake

This April marks the 100th anniversary of San Francisco's Great Quake of 1906. Our two featured documents, an account of the earthquake written by U.S. Commissioner Silas W. Mack and a broadside issued by San Francisco Mayor E. E. Schmitz, still speak vividly of the approximately 700 lives lost and efforts to rebuild a city left in shambles.

The South Was My Country

In this letter to Sam Chapman, John S. Mosby passionately defends his service as a Confederate soldier despite his hatred of slavery.

Eyewitness Account of Sinking of the Titanic

This letter, written on Carpathia stationery by a first class passenger on the Titanic, is one of the earliest, most immediate and compelling accounts of the disaster.

Women's Suffrage Broadsides

In the early twentieth century, women's suffrage groups used broadsides and fliers to target a male audience. This selection of four broadsides appeals to traditional ideas of female domesticity in an attempt to obtain the vote for women.


Suffragists Interpret Abraham Lincoln

Twentieth century suffragists hoped to capitalize on the popularity of former President Abraham Lincoln in order to promote the female vote, claiming "Lincoln said women should vote."

"Dixie Editors Fear Dry Force Bill Will Lead to Negro Control in South"

This broadside railing against the Anti-Saloon League and the national prohibition movement was printed around 1918. It articulates the racist policy of states' rights advocates at the time.

1926-1950

Women in the Golden Age of Aviation

Amelia Earhart is the most famous female pilot from the Golden Age of Aviation, though often overlooked is Neta Snook, the woman who taught Earhart how to fly and whose adventurous spirit mirrored Earhart's own. In this letter, Earhart writes to her former instructor remembering their days of flying together.

Two Letters by Herbert Hoover Regarding the Great Depression

On Thursday October 24th, 1929, less than eight months into Herbert Hoover's presidency and less than a year since he had been elected by the widest margin ever, the stock market crashed, heralding the Great Depression. These two brief private letters provide an intimate look at the reasoning behind Hoover's response to the crisis.

WWII Soldier's Letter

In this letter, written shortly after his arrival at Fort Dix, Sidney Diamond tries to explain to his longtime sweetheart, Estelle Spero, his reasons for leaving her to fight for his country.

Declaration of Concern: The Manhattan Project's Scientists
Speak

A group of Manhattan scientists co-authored this document to express their concern about the use of nuclear weapons. Written after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the declaration emphasizes the need to control atomic weaponry and acknowledge its consequences.

1951-1975

A Year of Progress: Kennedy and Civil Rights

In this report, submitted to his brother on January 24, 1963, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy details the progress of the civil rights movement and expresses optimism about its future.

A Poem by Kurt Vonnegut

This poem was included in a letter from Kurt Vonnegut to the students of Marshall E. Bean.

Letter from Sidney Diamond to Estelle Spero

In this letter written shortly after his arrival at Fort Dix, Sidney tries to explain to his longtime sweetheart, Estelle Spero, his reasons for leaving her to fight for his country.