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.

U.S. Constitution

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC07866 Author/Creator: Place Written: Albany, New York Type: Broadside Date: 17 September 1787 Pagination: 4 p. ; 34.7 x 22.1 cm. Order a Copy

Printed for the Federal Committee by Claxton & Babcock at the Federal Printing Office, No. 47 State St., Albany, New York. Possibly intended for the use of delegates to New York's ratification convention which convened at Van Kleck's tavern in Poughkeepsie, New York from June 17, 1788. The text of the Constitution is preceded by George Washington's letter, typically printed after the text of the Constitution. Washington's letter states, "the constitution which we now present, is the result of a spirit of amity," continuing, "that it may promote the lasting welfare of that country so dear to us all, and secure her freedom and happiness."

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