Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Franklin, Benjamin (1706-1790) to unknown

High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00496.159 Author/Creator: Franklin, Benjamin (1706-1790) Place Written: [Paris, France] Type: Manuscript document Date: circa 01 March 1777 Pagination: 2 p. : 23 x 19 cm. Order a Copy

This manuscript is a copy (possibly a draft) of part of an 01 March 1777 memorandum from American commissioners Benjamin Franklin and to Silas Deane to French foreign minister Vergennes, as they negotiated a contract with the Farmers General of France. [An autograph copy of the full memo is in the Archives du Ministère des affaires étrangères of France, according to the Franklin Papers at the American Philosophical Society.]

Signer of the U.S. Constitution.

Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
Deane, Silas, 1737-1789

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources