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For more results, go to The Collection.

4 November 1973

Enns, Paul H., (fl. 1973)

Typed letter signed

Title: to Congressman Carlos J. Moorhead

One letter from Paul H. Enns to Congressman Carlos J. Moorhead dated November 4, 1973. Paul H. Enns supports the impeachment of President Nixon. The letter is written by a pastor at Lancaster United Methodist Church.

GLC09613.02.0246

11709

Unknown

Autograph letter signed

Title: Letter to 'Hallie' Jones

GLC03135.13.088

12568

Unknown

Autograph letter signed

Title: Mimmi to Hallie Jones and Shirley D. Jones

GLC03135.13.089

12757

Unknown

Autograph letter signed

Title: Mimmi to Hallie Jones and Shirley D. Jones

GLC03135.13.100

12930

Unknown

Autograph letter signed

Title: Mimmi to Hallie Jones and Shirley D. Jones

GLC03135.13.090

13512

Unknown

Autograph letter signed

Title: Mimmi to Hallie and Shirley D. Jones

GLC03135.13.091

13803

Unknown

Autograph letter signed

Title: Mimmi to Shirley

GLC03135.13.092

13923

Unknown

Autograph letter signed

Title: Glad You're Better Card

GLC03135.13.093

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1493

Columbus, Christopher (1451-1506)

Pamphlet Include in Object Type Dropdown: 

Title: Epistola Christofori Colom... de insulis Indie supra Gangem.... [exploration]

First edition, in Latin, second (corrected) issue, printed at Rome after 29 April 1493. Gothic type; 33 lines per page. Pamphlet printing letter to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain concerning his first voyage to America, the so-called Barcelona letter. The earliest printed Columbus letter, describing his discovery of the Caribbean islands of Juana and Hispaniola.

GLC01427

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4 May 1493

Alexander VI, Pope (1431-1503)

Broadside Include in Object Type Dropdown: 

Title: [Demarcation bull, granting Spain possession of lands discovered by Columbus]

Broadside entitled "Copia de la bula del decreto y concession q[ue] hizo el papa / Alexandro sexto al Rey y la Reyna nuestros senores de las Indias conforme al capitu." Unique copy of second version possibly printed at Valladolio, by Francisco Fernandez de Cordoba. Title in Spanish and text in Latin.

GLC04093

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circa 1500

Unknown

Manuscript

Title: [Antiphon]

Single sheet of music. Date inferred. An antiphon is a verse usually from Scripture sung before and after a canticle or psalm as part of the liturgy.

GLC00496.124

circa 1500-1930

Header Record Include in Object Type Dropdown: 

Title: [Collection of Americana from Revolution & Civil War] Decimalized

[decimalized]

GLC00496

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21 June 1540

García de Loaysa, Francisco (fl. 1540)

Letter signed

Title: to Francisco Vásquez de Coronado [in Spanish]

Written on behalf of King Charles I of Spain (Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor), by the President of the Council of the Indies, Francisco García de Loaysa. Report of the Niza expedition. Authorizes Coronado's expedition to explore the heart of the North American continent.

GLC04883

1552

Casas, Bartolomé de las, (1474-1566)

Book Include in Object Type Dropdown: 

Title: Aqui se Contiene una Disputa, o Controversia [Second Edition]

The fifth tract on the conquest of the New World and rights of the Indians. In Spanish.

GLC04220

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circa 1580

Grenville, Richard, Sir (1541?-1591)

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John Blighe

Writes to his cousin to ask him to lend him money. In 1585 Grenville sailed to Virginia with 300 settlers that he successfully disembarked on Roanoke Island (off the coast of what is now North Carolina).

GLC00496.027

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1585-1763

Kneller, Godfrey, Sir (1646-1723)

Engraving Include in Object Type Dropdown: 

Title: [Engraving of Samuel Pepys]

Engraving that appears to be based on the painting by Sir Godfrey Kneller, created in 1689.

GLC00496.258.02

1585-1763

Unknown

Manuscript document

Title: "three things are to be helped in conscience fraud, accident, . . .

. . . things of confidence." Fragment of a larger document. Explains what constitutes an accident.

GLC03107.01338

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1585-1763

Livingston, Robert

Manuscript document signed

Title: to Arent Bratt re: case against John Barnard

The document outlines Christopher Estrat's complaint against John Barnard, who allegedly agreed to lease a piece of land to Jan Baptist and Estrat for 7 years, but then ran Estrat off of it before the lease expired. Estratt is therefore suing Barnard for damages. Livingston's description of the case is then followed by a note from Barnard to Arent Bratt, in which Barnard asks Bratt to attend his case at the Court of Common Pleas.

GLC03107.01822

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1585-1763

Davenport, Thomas

Manuscript document

Title: Account of Peeter Van Brugh & Johannes Cuyler

Van Brugh and Cuyler purchased shroud and some other materials.

GLC03107.01823

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1585-1763

Wessells, Dirk

Manuscript document

Title: "Dirk Wessells Esq: Mayor of the Citty of Albany to the Sherriffe . . .

Constables and other his Majes. officers greting show yee that wee the said Mayor have Lyncenced and" P.1 ends incomplete. P.2 contains an account. Docketed on verso.

GLC03107.01824

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1585-1763

Livingston, Philip

Manuscript document

Title: "a Lyst of Rents due to the estate of father Livingston"

GLC03107.01825

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1585-1763

Johnston, John

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Robert Livingston re: remedies for Livingston's illness [fragment]

Johnston prescribes some remedies to cure Livingston's maladies.

GLC03107.01826

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1585-1763

Unknown

Manuscript document

Title: "Reasons offer to the arbitrators why they ought not to allow . . .

of Jacob Harwoods sham sale of Robt. Livingstons Tallys of 1670." P.1 of the document outlines how Harwood's actions anulled any legitimate sale. P.2 is an account of how Robert Livingston came into possession of a part of the estate of Coll. Dongan. Docketed on verso.

GLC03107.01829

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1585-1763

Hitchcok, John

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Robert Livingston Junior re: offer to lease a farm

Hitchcok offers to lease a farm that Robert Livingston recently purchased.

GLC03107.01830

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1585-1763

Unknown

Manuscript document

Title: Rulings in court cases

The document lists various individuals who have brought cases before a court in Albany, and notes the settlement made in each one.

GLC03107.01831

For more results, go to The Collection.

For more results, go to History Resources.

Lincoln, Civil Liberties, and the Constitution

Video Teaser Image: 

Mark Neely

Government and Civics

Parks and Politics: A Look at Federal Land

Video Teaser Image: 

Patricia Limerick

Geography, Government and Civics

The Changing Face of the Supreme Court in American History

Video Teaser Image: 

A. E. Dick Howard

Government and Civics

The Supreme Court and Religious Freedom

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A. E. Dick Howard

Government and Civics

The Arab-Israeli Conflict and the Cold War

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Aaron David Miller

Government and Civics, World History

No Party Now: Politics in the Civil War North

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Adam I. P. Smith

Government and Civics

The Impact of the New Deal

Video Teaser Image: 

Alan Brinkley

Economics, Government and Civics

8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13+

FDR’s Personal History and Influences

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Alan Brinkley

In Pursuit of Equity: Women, Men, and the Quest for Economic Citizenship in 20th-Century America

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Alice Kessler-Harris

Economics, Government and Civics

The Emancipation Proclamation

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Allen C. Guelzo

Government and Civics

5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13+

Two American Revolutions

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Andrew W. Robertson

Government and Civics

The Costs of the American Revolution

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Andrew W. Robertson

Economics, Government and Civics

5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13+

The Aftermath of the French and Indian War

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Andrew W. Robertson

Government and Civics

The Hemingses of Monticello

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Annette Gordon-Reed

Government and Civics

Non-Violent Methods of Protest

Video Teaser Image: 

Anthony J. Badger

Economics, Government and Civics

7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13+

Origins of the Civil Rights Movement

Video Teaser Image: 

Anthony J. Badger

Government and Civics

7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13+

Martin Luther King Jr.'s Legacy

Video Teaser Image: 

Anthony J. Badger

Government and Civics

7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13+

FDR’s First 100 Days . . . and Obama’s

Video Teaser Image: 

Anthony J. Badger

Economics

American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson

Video Teaser Image: 

Joseph J. Ellis

Government and Civics

9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13+

A Voyage Long and Strange

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Tony Horwitz

World History

9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13+

Morgan: American Financier

Video Teaser Image: 

Jean Strouse

Art, Economics, World History

8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13+

Lincoln in Latin America

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Nicola Miller

Government and Civics, World History

Reform Cities: Chicago, Osaka, and Moscow

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Blair Ruble

Economics, World History

Europeans and the New World, 1400-1530

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Brian DeLay

Economics, Geography, Government and Civics, Religion and Philosophy, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, World History

Calling the Constitutional Convention

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Carol Berkin

Government and Civics

8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13+

For more results, go to History Now.

Showing results 76 - 100

A letter from a slave to his mother, 1859

Sometimes documents leave us with more questions than answers. That is definitely true for this letter of October 8, 1859, from an unidentified man to his mother—both of whom appear to be slaves! The author refers twice to having a master: "There is a young lady here that I am very much taken with and I think that my Master will buy her and take her out with us." "I went to Mrs. Bailys expecting to meet My old Master as he said he would be there . . ." We really wanted to try to track this down, so we started by compiling a list of names and places mentioned in the letter: Widow Baily,

Portraits of Jane and Franklin Pierce

These miniature portraits of Jane and Franklin Pierce, attributed to artist Moses B. Russell, were painted shortly after the couple was married in 1834. Measuring only 4 ¼ inches tall by 3 ½ inches wide, the paintings have gilt-metal frames and are set in a fitted leather case.They were meant to be carried.   Franklin Pierce was elected the 14th president of the United States in 1852. On January 6, 1853, the president-elect, his wife, and their 11-year-old son, Benjamin, were traveling from New Hampshire to Washington DC when their train derailed and toppled down an embankment. Although Mr

A Civil War soldier’s sketchbook

Between battles, marches, and military exercises, Civil War soldiers spent their free time in camp playing music, writing and reading letters, and, for those with the skill, sketching scenes from the day. This unknown soldier’s sketchbook from 1863, "A Few Scenes in the life of A ‘SOJER’ in the Mass 44th," recounts the adventures of a soldier named "Gorge," or "George." We do not know if George is a fictional character or loosely autobiographical. The sketchbook follows the movements of the 44th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry in New Bern, North Carolina. The cartoon sketches satirize the

The diary of a sailor on the eve of Pearl Harbor

In the fall of 1941 Thomas Barwiss Hagstoz Askin Jr. was on board USS Memphis counting down the days until his enlistment in the United States Navy ended. He recorded his experience in a diary he entitled "Memorys and Incidents of My Last 60 (?) Days in the United States Navy." Askin had joined the Navy in March 1938, at the age of 17, and was set to be discharged on October 13, 1941, one day before his 21st birthday. Unfortunately, his ship was at sea at the time. His disappointment and dejection when he realized he would not be going home was palpable in his diary entry on October 14, 1941

The manumission of Frederick Douglass

After his escape from slavery in 1838, Frederick Douglass became a well-known orator and abolitionist. In 1845, he wrote an autobiography that increased his influence, but also increased the chances that he would be captured and returned to slavery. Seeking refuge, Douglass went on a speaking tour of Ireland and England to remove himself from immediate danger. In 1846, Anna and Henry Richardson and other English supporters gathered funds and made arrangements to purchase Douglass’s freedom.  On October 6, 1846, Hugh Auld agreed to "take 150 £ sterling for the manumassion [sic] of my slave

Woodrow Wilson Suffers Stroke, 1919

When World War I ended, President Woodrow Wilson attended the Paris Peace Conference, where the Allied nations met to write the Treaty of Versailles. In September 1919, President Woodrow Wilson embarked on a speaking tour of US cities to gain support for the treaty and the League of Nations, which Americans were reluctant to join.  Traveling with the President was Dr. Cary Grayson, Wilson’s personal physician and friend. Grayson kept a diary of the trip and included notes on Wilson’s health. On September 26, on a train bound for Wichita, Kansas, Grayson was woken up to attend to Wilson:

Paul Revere’s 1770 Print of British Troops Landing in Boston

Explore in depth Paul Revere’s 1770 print "Brittish Ships of War Landing Their Troops, 1768" and check out Paul Revere’s related propaganda print of the Boston Massacre.

The War of 1812 in the West: On This Day, October 5

  View the full Battle of the Thames document and read an essay on the Battle for Baltimore during the War of 1812.  

Letter from Christopher Columbus, 1493

View Columbus’s letter, read an excerpt, or view a depiction of his landing.

Conquering the SAT US History Subject Test

There’s just one month left until the next test date for the SAT Subject Test in US History on November 7, 2015. Sure, this test is no APUSH, but the 95 multiple-choice questions in just 60 minutes require a familiarity with a wide swath of American history. Quick—can you name at least one Transcendentalist? Why should you "remember the Maine"? Which came first, Progressivism or Populism? If some of these answers aren’t coming to you right away, don’t panic. Take a deep dive into our SAT Test Guide's videos, timelines, reference cards, and quizzes. You’ve got a month—start now and you’ll be

Things to Ponder on Columbus Day: The Columbian Exchange

On Monday, October 12, many Americans had the day off and stores hosted sales under the name of that 15th-century Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus. But Columbus’s impact on our world reaches past a 3-day weekend and great deals at department stores. The Columbian Exchange refers to the flow of goods between the Americas, Europe, and Africa that followed Columbus’s widely advertised "discovery" of the New World. People, animals, plants, and diseases passed from continent to continent . . . and nothing would ever be the same. Find out more about the far reaches of the Columbian Exchange

Lincoln’s Favorite Dog, Fido

Ever wonder why the name "Fido" has become synonymous with dogs? It all goes back to a very special dog belonging to Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln always had a fondness for animals, and it has been speculated that he relied on his pets to help get him through periodic bouts of depression. The name Fido came from the Latin word "fidelity" and suited Lincoln’s favorite dog perfectly. A short-haired yellow dog of mixed breed, Fido was a mangy but lovable mutt who followed Lincoln everywhere. He lived with Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois, and was a constant fixture in town—he

Opening Day of the NYC Subway: On This Day, October 27

On October 27, 1904, New York City was forever changed. Nine miles of what one day would become 137 miles of subway track were ready for travel. After months of construction and a few iffy test rides, the IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit) subway line began offering full service at 5 cents a ride. The IRT line ran from City Hall to 145th Street, boasting that it could take customers from "City Hall to Harlem in 15 Minutes." The mayor of New York City, George B. McClellan, was given the honorary duty of starting the first train as it departed from City Hall station. Although he was supposed

Meryl Streep Goes to Suffragette City

Meryl Streep’s new bio-pic, Suffragette, chronicles the adventuresome lives of the British women’s rights advocate Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters. Tired of waiting for equality, the Pankhurts’ Women’s Social and Political Union favored direct action over lobbying and legislating. Suffragettes (not suffragists) picketed, staged protests, chained themselves to Parliament, and often landed in prison. The Pankhursts and their militant strategy had an influence on American activist Alice Paul. On October 20, 1917, Alice Paul was arrested for picketing at the White House for the right to vote

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871: On This Day, October 8

    Read an excerpt of John R. Chapin's eyewitness account of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. 

Alexander Hamilton, Hero of Yorktown: On This Day, October 14

In 1769, Alexander Hamilton, an ambitious young clerk in St. Croix, wrote to a friend that "I . . . would willingly risk my life, tho not my Character, to exalt my station. . . . I wish there was a war." Seven years later, he was a soldier in the American Revolution and soon came to the attention of George Washington. Although Hamilton gained a position of respect as Washington’s aide-de-camp, he never lost his conviction that he could only attain the glory he sought through a field command. Washington finally consented, and Hamilton led the men who successfully stormed Redoubt 10 at the

Yellow Fever Epidemic, 1793

View the account of the 1793 yellow fever outbreak in Philadelphia or read the transcript. 

Learn to Make an Interactive Timeline

Do you want to make a great interactive timeline that incorporates images, text, audio, and video? TimelineJS is a great free tool to explore. View this tutorial as a printable PDF. If you need more help, or if you'd like to explore more digital tools, check out our digital literacy toolbox.

Ensign Jesse Brown, First African American Naval Aviator, 1948

In October 1948, Jesse LeRoy Brown made history by becoming the first African American naval aviator. Born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, in 1926, Brown was inspired to become a pilot by an airshow that he attended at age six. After graduating from high school, Brown attended Ohio State University, the alma mater of his hero, Jesse Owens. Brown completed his engineering degree in 1947, and then entered naval flight officer training. In October of 1948, Brown received his naval aviator badge. Ensign Brown served in the Korean War and was the first African American pilot killed in combat in the

National Prohibition Act Passed: On This Day, October 28

On October 28, 1919, the National Prohibition Act—also known as the Volstead Act—was passed by Congress, overriding President Woodrow Wilson’s veto. On January 16, 1920, Americans would have to put down their drinks and shutter the saloons. Supplemental to the Eighteenth Amendment, the Volstead Act outlined methods of enforcing prohibition and decided which intoxicating liquors were prohibited and which were excluded from prohibition. Read the explanation of the Supreme Court decision upholding the Volstead Act written by Wayne B. Wheeler, the zealous force behind the Anti-Saloon League. The

Are We in a New Gilded Age?

The question of whether the United States has entered a new Gilded Age pops up quite frequently in magazines, op-eds, and newscasts these days. Here, historian Edward O’Donnell, author of Henry George and the Crisis of Inequality, offers his perspective.

The Harlem Rattlers—African Americans in WWI

Historian Jeffrey Sammons tells the story of the Harlem Rattlers in the Great War. The 369th Regiment—a unit of African American soldiers—fought on two fronts: in the trenches of Europe and for civil rights in the military and at home. More than 350,000 African Americans, trained and deployed in segregated units, served in the US military during  World War I, of whom 42,000 saw action in Europe.

Surrender of Cornwallis, Yorktown, 1781

Read about Cornwallis' last gambit at the Siege of Yorktown and view more primary sources related to the surrender of Cornwallis.

Introducing Soldier Spotlight: A Confederate Soldier Speaks

The Gilder Lehrman Collection contains more than 15,000 letters written by servicemen from the American Revolution through World War II. These personal letters, largely unpublished, capture the experience of the common soldier and his family and friends in detail, and convey the human experience of war in a way that cannot be captured in a textbook. Private Christian Marion Epperly This archive includes 128 letters from Christian Epperly to his wife, Mary, and eight letters from Mary to Christian between January 1862 and March 1865. Private Christian Marion Epperly from Floyd County, Virginia

Western Sanitary Commission Report on Civil War Refugees, 1863

Read about the report from the Western Sanitary Commission regarding the conditions of freed slaves in the Mississippi valley.

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Showing results 76 - 100

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