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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.

Sumner, Charles (1811-1874) Collection of signed materials, pamphlets and Civil War-related items of Charles Sumner [Decimalized .01 - .41]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02095 Author/Creator: Sumner, Charles (1811-1874) Place Written: [various places] Type: Header Record Date: 1847-1874 Pagination: 41 items + 1 engraving ; b&w ; 24 x 16 cm + 1 engraving ; b&w ; 22 x 15 cm Order a Copy

Collection of signed materials, books, letters and documents related to the coming of the war, Sumner's career and Reconstruction. Includes: 17 ALSs (30 p.) 1847-1874, 6 AQS on themes of liberty and equal rights, 3 cartes de visite (2 signed), 2 signed checks, clipped signature of Preston Brooks, and 5 major books/pamphlets. Also includes a full set of the Complete Works of Charles Sumner, published by the Negro University Press, located with reference books. Two black and white bust engravings of Sumner included.

Sumner was a United States Senator 1851-1874. "Before and after the Civil War, Sumner led his state and nation in opposing slavery and fighting for racial justice. An impractical moralist who rarely understood compromise, he antagonized opponents and exasperated friends. Yet during his twenty-three years in the Senate, he remained a stern voice of conscience, seeking with only partial success to convince Americans of the justice of his cause" (Frederick J. Blue, American National Biography).

Summer, Charles, 1811-?

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