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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.

Jefferson, Thomas (1743-1826) [An Act more effectually to provide for the National Defense by establishing an Uniform Militia throughout the United States].

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC01959 Author/Creator: Jefferson, Thomas (1743-1826) Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Document signed Date: 8 May 1792 Pagination: 3 p. ; 39 x 25 cm Order a Copy

Countersigned in type by Speaker of the House Jonathan Trumbull, President pro tempore of the Senate Richard Henry Lee, and President Washington. The act requires the enrollment in the militia of all able-bodied white men between the ages of eighteen and forty-five. It also lists those who would be exempt and how the militia will be organized and run. Issued by the Second Congress of the United States. Signed as Secretary of State.

Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826
Trumbull, Jonathan, 1710-1785
Lee, Richard Henry, 1732-1794
Washington, George, 1732-1799

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