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.

King, Rufus, 1755-1827 to Henry Knox

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.03556 Author/Creator: King, Rufus, 1755-1827 Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 27 May 1787 Pagination: 2 p. : address : docket ; 22.4 x 18.4 cm. Order a Copy

King discusses the Constitutional Convention: "Seven states assembled on the 25th and appointed Gen. Washington President & Maj. Jackson Secretary of the Convention. If Connecticut, Georgia & Massachusetts are represented tomorrow, we will have ten States - I hope this will be the case but the event is uncertain - No proposition has been agitated except in private conversation, and excepting the mere organization of the convention we are as when you left us." "Free" stamped on address leaf with no signature.

Signer of the U.S. Constitution.

King, Rufus, 1755-1827
Knox, Henry, 1750-1806
Jackson, William, 1759-1828
Washington, George, 1732-1799

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