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.

Davis, Jefferson (1808-1889) [Quote on the authority of governments from Davis's inaugural address]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC04677 Author/Creator: Davis, Jefferson (1808-1889) Place Written: s.l. Type: Autograph quotation signed Date: crica 1870 Pagination: 1 p. ; 8.4 x 11.1 cm. Order a Copy

Writes: "The Rightful powers of government are derived from the consent of the governed." Quoted from his inaugural address as Confederate president, but probably written after the Civil War. Written on a card.

Davis, Jefferson, 1808-1889

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