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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.

Foster, Ephraim H. (1794-1854) to William Graham

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02803 Author/Creator: Foster, Ephraim H. (1794-1854) Place Written: Nashville, Tennessee Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 21 September 1814 Pagination: 3 p. : address : docket ; 24.5 21 cm. Order a Copy

Foster writes to a childhood friend. Tells Graham of recently becoming a lawyer, his drive to succeed, and his plans to live in Nashville in order to "avoid a life of disagreeable solitude, in an insignificant country village." Dramatically reacts to the burning of Washington, D.C., describing the stakes of the War of 1812 as "our Liberty, our Independence, our national existence." Sees a possible benefit, if America's wounded pride galvanizes support for the war. Reports news about their acquaintances. Foster was a secretary to Andrew Jackson during the War of 1812 and later served in the Tennessee house of representatives and the U.S. senate.

Foster, Ephraim Hubbard, 1794-1854
Graham, William P., fl. 1814-1815
Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845

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