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.

Hays, Moses Michael (1739-1805) to Henry Knox

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.04355 Author/Creator: Hays, Moses Michael (1739-1805) Place Written: Boston, Massachusetts Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 12 September 1789 Pagination: 1 p. ; 27.4 x 19.7 cm. Order a Copy

Writes that he has heard that Rhode Island will soon "embrace the Federal Union," and the government will therefore need to appoint a Collector at Newport. Apparently offers himself as a candidate, as he relates that he plans to give his son control of his businesses when his son returns from Europe in the fall.

Moses Michael Hays (1739-1805) was a prominent Jewish Bostonian, a shipping and banking magnate, and supporter of the Patriot cause during the Revolution.

Hays, Moses Michael, 1739-1805
Knox, Henry, 1750-1806

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