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.

Seward, William Henry (1801-1872) California, union, and freedom. Speech of William H. Seward, on the admission of California.

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05938 Author/Creator: Seward, William Henry (1801-1872) Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Pamphlet Date: 11 March 1850 Pagination: 1 v. : 16 p. ; 24.5 x 16 cm. Order a Copy

Printed by Buell & Blanchard. Uncut. Argues for the admission of California into the Union (as a free state).

Seward, William H. (William Henry), 1801-1872

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