January 17, 1860

Stevens, Aaron D., 1831-1860

Letter

Title: to Anne Brown Adams [Fragment]

Likely copied in Anne Brown Adams' hand. Written to one of John Brown's sons as well, addressed simply to "My Dear Brother." Portion of the letter written to the son states Stevens is awaiting execution, ready to die, and looking forward to the next life. He writes, "Some of us must suffer that the rest may learn." Says he did not see John Brown write anything before his death, but was not with him at the very end. Part written to Anne has the same content as GLC03007.01, except that the end of the letter has been lost. Written from Charlestown Jail.

GLC03007.03

1878-1898

Ross, Alexander Milton, 1832-1897

Scrapbook

Title: [Alexander Ross' scrapbook related to John Brown's family]

Ross' collection of letters relating to John Brown's family, mostly letters sent to him by John Brown's children. Scrapbook contains twenty one letters and one cartoon relating to John Brown, as well as envelopes for most of the letters. Letters written by Anne Brown Adams, Ruth Brown Thompson, John Brown Jr., Sarah Brown, Owen Brown, George B. Gill. One letter is signed W. H. Harrison, the pseudonym of Albert Hazlett. Also contains letters written by others to Anne Brown, which she copied and forwarded to Ross. Inside the pages is a small envelope labeled "California wild flowers.…

GLC03007.56

1958

King, Martin Luther Jr., 1929-1968

Book signed

Title: Stride toward freedom: the Montgomery story

Published by Harper & Brothers. Inscribed to Miss Charlotte Rosenbaum, a supporter, on the first flyleaf. Inscription states "In appreciation for your genuine humanitarian concern, and your great financial and moral support in the struggle to realize the American dream." Below the inscription, the date 22 November 1961 is written in a different hand than King's. Content discusses the boycott of Montgomery, Alabama's transit system to force the desegregation of city buses. Describes the organization of the boycott, active opposition from white groups in Montgomery, and the aftermath…

GLC03025

1864

Photograph

Title: Albumen Print of Battery A, 2nd U.S. Colored Light Artillery Reg

Dramatic oval photograph showing seven black soldiers attending a cannon.

GLC03028

February 24, 1777

Desprez, Henrique, fl. 1777

Letter signed

Title: Account of slave rebellion in New Orleans [in Spanish]

Account of a slave rebellion while New Orleans was under Spanish rule. States that the rebellion occurred on 9 and 10 February 1777. Discusses what should be done to prevent future rebellions. States that drinking causes enslaved people to commit crimes and advises taking away their weapons. Mentions an uprising in the Suriname capital of Dutch Guinea in 1762 where all the whites were killed. Lists provisions that should be made to keep enslaved people from drinking, such as requiring bartenders not to serve them without their masters' permission.

GLC03040

18 August 1861

Hopkins, David, fl. 1861

Autograph letter signed

Title: to my dear brother and sister

Hopkins, a sailor on board a Union ship, replies to a letter from his brother and sister [N. N. and Lacey Hopkins?], of Ashtabula County, Ohio. Discusses problems with the mail. Notes that he feels better than he has in years, despite a persistent cough. Offers his views on the war, declaring that "there are many wrongs to be righted besides the one done to the negro race." Attests that sailors are in worse condition than the enslaved people of the south. Doesn't believe slavery is the underlying cause of the war. Mentions a statement made by Henry A. Wise (Governor of Virginia 1856-…

GLC03043

circa 1828

Ker, John, fl. 1828

Document signed

Title: [Petition of Antonio Vela]

Legal document by attorney John Ker who served as petitioner for Antonio Vela, a citizen of Louisiana, in the County Court of Adams County, Mississippi. The petition was showing the court "That on or about the first day of April 1828 he [Vela] was possessed of a certain negro man called Peter. That the said negro ran away about the time above mentioned." Says Peter was captured and jailed under the assumed name Harrison in Adams County. Claims that the Sheriff Horace Gridley sold Peter to Gabriel Winter for $380 to cover the cost of jail fees and other expenses after the time allowed by law…

GLC02887

3 December 1859

Holden, William Woods, 1818-1892

Pamphlet

Title: Tracts for the people. No. 1. Who were our friends in time of need?

Holden, editor of the Raleigh Standard, issues an extreme pro-slavery tract declaring, "Too much liberty, too much indulgence will be sure to injure both the slave and the master." Instructs slave owners to maintain strict discipline over their enslaved people: "It is a good rule, in the management of slaves or servants, to clothe well, feed well, and whip well, if whipping be needed." Condemns whites who trade and interact with blacks. Accuses blacks as having a large appetite for "finery" and "good living." Also asserts "The true condition of the African race is that of dependence on…

GLC02888

January 31, 1865

Ridgely, C. S., fl. 1865

Broadside signed

Title: [Notice for the enlistment and impressment of slaves into military service]

Captain Ridgely informs slave owner G. N. Jones that the "Confederate Government has made requisition on this State for five hundred Slaves ... by the enrollment of free negroes and slaves in certain capacities, approved February 17, 1864. Your appointment under this call is one able bodied male slaves [sic], between the ages of 18 and 50." States that the government will pay enslaved people the rate established in accordance with impressments and will furnish them with rations and clothing. Provides pay for the owner in the event of the enslaved persons death, escape, or illness. Reports…

GLC02889

February 21, 1846

Cheatham, Henry, fl. 1846 Cheatham, Henry, fl. 1846

Broadside

Title: Assignee's sale

Broadside announcing sale of "real and personal property," including enslaved people, from the estate of William R. Robertson. Lists 600 acres of land in the town of Union, Missouri, 19 or 20 enslaved people, farming utensils, horses, cattle, and hogs. States the enslaved people consist of "...men, women, girls, and boys, comprising several good house and farm servants, and some good weavers." Cheatham is the assignee.

GLC03085

10 March 1860

Pugh, George Ellis, 1822-1876

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Alfred Edmund Burr

Declines an invitation from Burr, Chairman of the Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee, to speak at a canvass preceding the 1860 presidential election. States "I fervently hope that our Democratic friends in Connecticut may be so earnest, and zealous, and withal so fortunate as to break the back of Abolitionism at the approaching election. Their victory (if victory it shall be) will decide the Presidential contest ...It is a source of regret to me that I cannot wear the harness in a battle so glorious, and full of such weighty consequences." Pugh served as a U.S. senator from Ohio…

GLC02925.16

1892-1897

Header Record

Title: Items related to the creation of the Robert Gould Shaw Monument by Augustus Saint-Gaudens [Decimalized .01-.06]

GLC02928

23 December 1837

Buchanan, James, 1791-1868

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Peter Wager

Buchanan writes as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania. Discusses a possible mistake regarding the price of wine he ordered from Wager. Writes, "We have nothing new here except what you see in the papers. I think a deeper & stronger feeling exists among the southern men, than at any former period, on the subject of the abolition petitions. I begin to fear that the question may prove dangerous to the Union."

GLC02949

12 December 1838

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John Brown Dillon

Harrison offers his opinion to Dillon, who is publishing a pamphlet on the subject of slavery: "our Union is a Union of Sovereign Independent States &... in every particular where power is not expressly surrendered by that instrument to the General Government it is retained by the States..." Argues that its omission from the Constitution leaves the slavery question up to individual states, not to the federal government. Emphasizes he is writing as a friend, not for publication. Includes a note written in pencil at the top of page one, pertaining to the purchase of this letter and…

GLC02946

26 June 1857

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

Pamphlet

Title: Speech of the Hon. Abram Lincoln, in reply to Judge Douglas.

Speech on the subjects of Kansas, the Dred Scott decision, and Utah. Delivered in Representatives' Hall, Springfield, Illinois, June 26th, 1857.

GLC02954

17 July 1858

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

Pamphlet

Title: Speech of Hon. Abraham Lincoln, delivered in Springfield, Saturday evening, July 17, 1858.

Discusses the disadvantages faced by the Republican Party in the upcoming election. Traces the development of his attitudes toward slavery and equality, expressing his conviction that the South's reliance on slavery was engaged in a conspiracy to nationalize slavery and strip White people as well as Black people of their civil rights. States that the Kansas-Nebraska bill was the beginning of this. Urges that slavery be placed on the course of "ultimate extinction." Attacks Stephen Douglas and defends himself by stating that he supports the principles of equality put forth in the Declaration…

GLC02955

1858

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

Pamphlet

Title: Facts for the people

Contains the following documents: "Speech of Hon. Abraham Lincoln, delivered in Springfield, Saturday evening, July 17, 1858;" "Great Speech of Senator Trumbull, on the Issues of the Day, Delivered in Chicago, Saturday, August 7, 1858;" "Douglas' Chicago Speech vs. his Freeport Speech: Dred Scott Swallowed in Chicago and Thrown Up in Freeport-What the Supreme Court Says-What President Buchanan Says-The Little Dodger Cornered and Caught;" "What the Southern Papers Say: The Louisville Journal on Douglas and Lincoln-Opinion of the Home Organ of Henry Clay;" "The Political Record of Stephen A.…

GLC02956

17 November 1864

Blum, L.V., fl. 1864-1866

Newspaper

Title: The people's press. [Vol. 14, no. 29 (November 17, 1864)]

Contains an article discussing the arming of enslaved people. States "We are pleased to notice that nearly the entire press of the State has spoken out boldly in opposition to the scheme of arming negro slaves and making soldiers of them to fight our battles ... " Includes Civil War reports from various locations. Contains a message from Confederate President Jefferson Davis, who states "I must dissent from those who advise a general levy and arming of slaves for the duty of soldiers." Includes public notices, advertisements, and a notice of the sale for several enslaved people.

GLC02981

12 October 1893

Douglass, Frederick, 1818-1895

Typed letter signed

Title: to Mr. Peck

Typed on stationery of the Exposition Universelle de Chicago, Pavillon Haitien. Sympathizes with Peck, recently removed from a governmental office. Notes that he would have written a letter to the President (Grover Cleveland) on Peck's behalf, but felt he had no influence with the present administration. Remarks, "I do not like to fight, unless I have a hope of hitting somebody. I have no claims on this democratic administration whatever. I did all I could to get it out of power, and do not feel now like begging it to keep my friends in office."

GLC02990

29 July 1880

Hancock, Winfield Scott, 1824-1886

Document signed

Title: to John W. Stevenson and John P. Stockton

Accepts nomination for President of the United States by the National Democratic Convention. Supports the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution. Describes his commitment to the Union and the federal system of government. Argues against corruption as an impediment to the participation of people in their government: "Public office is a trust, not a bounty bestowed upon the holder; no incompetent or dishonest persons should ever be entrusted with it, or if appointed, they should be promptly ejected. The basis of a substantial, practical civil service reform, must first be…

GLC02992

24 December 1863

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

Autograph endorsement signed

Title: [Regarding African American troops in Missouri]

President Lincoln states that commissioners are "to appraise negroes in Missouri." Mentions that he was previously unaware of General Order No. 135 issued in mid-November 1863 by General John McAllister Schofield, in command of the Department of Missouri. That order had authorized the enlistment of enslaved people, without consent of their owners, and with compensation promised to loyalist slaveholders.

GLC03096

6 December 1859

Johnson, Cave, 1793-1866

Autograph letter signed

Title: to P. G. Washington

Discusses the ownership of an unspecified paper, mentioning several persons associated with the paper's publication. Recommended Washington's brother to one of the paper's editors. Comments that he is no longer engaged in politics, and is disappointed in the Democratic party. Discusses the Democratic Party Convention scheduled to be held in Charleston, South Carolina in April 1860. Of the candidates for nomination at the convention, prefers James Guthrie of Kentucky over Stephen Douglas. Also mentions candidate Daniel S. Dickinson. Writes, "The present position of the Slavery question…

GLC02823

25 April 1888

Douglass, Frederick, 1818-1895

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John Sherman

Intends to give Sherman a copy of a speech he (Douglass) gave on the 26th anniversary of the abolition of slavery, if the speech is published. Supports Sherman's attempt for the presidency on the Republican ticket. Written on Cedar Hill, Anacostia, D.C. stationery.

GLC02841

10 October 1821

Monroe, James, 1758-1831

Autograph letter signed

Title: to John C. Calhoun

Written by President Monroe to Calhoun as Secretary of War. Declares that the measures Calhoun have taken in regard to the Seminole Indians have been proper. Says that "Unprincipled settlers" should be driven away, and that "It was correct also to prohibit the sale of run away slaves, since it might and probably would, as you justly observe, have opened the door to fraud. Returns the papers relating to the demands of Governor John Clark of Georgia. Mentions that he is sending the proceedings of the court of inquiry and the court martial to him by mail. Hears with regret that many are still…

GLC02859

1859

Wayne, James M., 1790-1867

Pamphlet

Title: Charge Of Mr. Justice Of The Supreme Court Of The United States...

Title continues: "...Given On The Fourteenth Day Of November, 1859, To The Grand Jury Of The Sixth Circuit Court." A copy of Wayne's statements charging the members of a Grand Jury in the Sixth Circuit Court in the Southern District of Georgia. Wayne does not specify what the cases before the Grand Jury will be, but says they may relate to slavery. The Grand Jury requested printed copies of Wayne's statements to review them in reference to the case before them. Also details the various laws of Congress related to the slave trade and its criminality. Printed by E. J. Purse.

GLC02807