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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.

Monroe, James (1758-1831) [Act in addition to another act prohibiting the importation of slaves]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC08946 Author/Creator: Monroe, James (1758-1831) Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Printed document Date: 20 April 1818 Pagination: 5 p. ; 23.5 x 19.5 cm. Order a Copy

Passed by Congress and approved by the President. Outlines the ban on importing slaves, the forfeiture of ships built for such a purpose, and the penalties for involvement in the slave trade. The act being added to prohibited the importation of slaves as of 1 January 1808. The names of Henry Clay (Speaker of the House), John Gaillard (President of the Senate, pro tempore) and President James Monroe are printed at the end. The date is the day Monroe approved the act.

Monroe, James, 1758-1831
Clay, Henry, 1777-1852
Gaillard, John, 1765-1826

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