Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 70,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World to soldiers’ letters from World War II and Vietnam. Explore primary sources, visit exhibitions in person or online, or bring your class on a field trip.

Back to Collection Search

Zelaya, José Santos (1853-1919) Monopoly of lead, fulminating caps and cartridges for shot guns and revolvers

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 #: GLC03804.24 Author/Creator: Zelaya, José Santos (1853-1919) Place Written: Managua, Nicaragua Type: Document Date: 4 December 1897 Pagination: 4 p. ; 33.5 x 21 cm.

Summary of Content: Contract approved by Zelaya as President of Nicaragua. Contract given by Minister of Finance Enrique Lopez. Probably arranged by Walker in retirement from the U.S. Navy working on the canal commission in Nicaragua, but his signature is not on the document. The president offered this contract to "increase the sources of revenue, so as to meet the increased expenditures which the public service demand." The contract contains 8 articles, the more important of which state that lead, caps, and cartridges can only be sold at government depots; lists of the stocks of these items owned by merchants must be made and the stock then delivered to the collector of revenue for their department; private citizens cannot keep more than 2 pounds of powder, 5 pounds of shot, 500 caps, and 200 cartridges.

Background Information:

People: Walker, John Grimes, 1835-1907
Zelaya, Jose Santos, 1853-1919

Historical Era: Rise of Industrial America, 1877-1900

Subjects: MississippiProgressive EraCanalsLatin and South AmericaGlobal History and US Foreign PolicyGlobal History and US Foreign PolicyContractFinanceEconomicsLawTaxes or TaxationAmmunitionMerchants and TradeNavyUnion GeneralGovernment and Civics

Sub Era: Empire Building

Order a Copy Citation Guidelines for Online Resources

Copyright Notice: The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.