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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.

Wadsworth, Jeremiah (1743-1804) to Henry Knox

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.03409 Author/Creator: Wadsworth, Jeremiah (1743-1804) Place Written: Hartford, Connecticut Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 7 January 1787 Pagination: 6 p. : docket ; 22.4 x 18.2 cm. Order a Copy

Letter contains Wadsworth's reaction to Knox's analysis of Shays' Rebellion and includes Wadsworth's own ideas on the matter. Believes that despite the actions of the insurgents, they and their supporters would not vote for anyone "who have not the will or ability to lead, or favor, measures for the establishment of a good government." Discusses recruitment efforts, as well as the poor state of his own finances. Comments on the status of trade with France, the West Indies, and Canada, as well as opportunities of coining copper. Mentions correspondence with Thomas Jefferson, the Marquis de Lafayette, and the recently deceased Nathanael Greene.

Knox, Henry, 1750-1806
Wadsworth, Jeremiah, 1743-1804
Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826
Lafayette, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier, marquis de, 1757-1834
Greene, Nathanael, 1742-1786

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