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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.

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1814/11/28

Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826

Pamphlet

Title: Report of the Joint Committee... for the Library of Mr. Jefferson

Report of members of Congress concerning the library of Thomas Jefferson, which the retired president had offered to the country to replace that destroyed by the British when they burned the capitol in 1814. Jefferson's library became the core of the Library of Congress. Printed by Weightman.

GLC06792

1772/10/28

Washington, George, 1732-1799

Document signed

Title: Purchasing land bordering Mt. Vernon from Charles West

Printed document, with text filled out and also signed in text by Washington. Witnessed by Robert Burwell and John Fitzhugh.

GLC06793

1865/06/22

Johnson, Andrew, 1808-1875

Document signed

Title: Pardon of Francis Smith for rebellion (c/s William Hunter, Acting Sec. of State)

With MS note on his taking oath that pardon will take affect when Smith takes oath, including provision against slavery. Countersigned by William Hunter as Acting Sec. of State.

GLC06794

1873/03/27

Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885

Document signed

Title: Authority to affix seal to warrant for pardon of Benjamin J. Harrison

(Not the president)

GLC06801

1953/01/15

Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972

Manuscript document signed

Title: Press release of last Presidential Address

Signed on page 2. Printed front and back. Discusses events of his presidency including the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the end of WWII and Korea. "I suppose that history will remember my term...as the years when the "Cold War" began to overshadow our lives."

GLC06802

1856/10/25

Miller, Daniel L., fl. 1856

Broadside

Title: One Hundred Dollars Reward. Shall extension of slavery be prohibited? [election]

A comparison of Democratic Buchanan/Breckinridge platform to Republican Fremont/Dayton platform with historical background. Prints quotations from Jefferson, Washington, Madison, Polk, and the Constitution. For anyone who can disprove the statements in the broadside, the author offers: "One hundred dollars reward. Let every voter examine and judge for himself!" Poses the question: "Has Congress the Constitutional right to prohibit slavery and polygamy in the territories" and offers the candidates views on the issues.

GLC06814

1870/06/16

Fish, Hamilton, 1808-1893

Document

Title: Passport of George Rice indicating complexion as "Dark"

Signed (?) by Hamilton Fish

GLC06817.02

1814/10/04

Winchester, James, 1725-1826

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Acting Secretary of War re: burning of Washington by British

Winchester also requests to be reassigned. Docketed "Copy of a letter to the Acting Secretary of War."

GLC06824

1807/04/21

Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Henry Dearborn re: recommending W.Duncanson for Librarian of Congress

Jefferson, writing to his Secretary of War, discusses nominations for various posts, particularly W. Duncanson for Librarian of Congress, because of his distressed condition. "He was in the worst days of terror, one of the 4 or 5 who alone stood their ground as republicans in Washington and Georgetown. [....] He is warm in temper, and on account of some communications with Col. Smith in Miranda's affair and perhaps some acquaintance with Burr, might, I fear be rather unpopular with the members [of Congress]; but my confidence is that he vowed to be, & has been, an honest man in all his…

GLC06826

1852/07/05

Douglass, Frederick, 1818-1895

Pamphlet

Title: Oration delivered in Corinthian Hall, Rochester

First Edition by Lee, Mann & Co. Douglass' famous fourth of July oration, given on the fifth. Douglass was asked by the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Society to give the oration on the fourth, choosing the topic "the meaning of the Fourth to the Negro." Douglass' famous peroration: "Are the great principles of political freedom and natural justice [of the Fourth], embodied in the Declaration of Independence, extended to us? .... This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, but I must mourn." McFeely called this "perhaps the greatest anti-slavery oration ever given." Sabin…

GLC06829

1776/03/26-04/09

Blauvelt, Johannes J., fl. 1776

Manuscript

Title: Orderly book of Captain Blauvelt at beginning of New York Campaign

New York (Rockland County) or New Jersey (Bergen County) militia Revolutionary War orderly book. Includes Washington's orders for troops sent to New York after recapture of Boston, New York campaign prior to British arrival at Staten Island (July). First page entitled "Captain Johannes Jab. Blauvelt his orderly book, New York, March 26, 1776." 22 pages, with 10 additional pages of later date. This may be the same person as Johannes J. Blauvelt buried in Orangeburg, NY (DAR Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots, vol. 1).

GLC06849

1865/11/13

Johnson, Andrew, 1808-1875

Document

Title: Pardon of Charles W. Dorrance with stamped signature

Stamped Signature of President Johnson (sole example in GLC). Countersigned by William H. Seward

GLC06850

1814/08/18

Cochrane, Alexander, fl. 1814

Manuscript

Title: to James Monroe re: Washington D.C., letter (copy) written during war of 1812

Contemporary copy. Cochrane writes to Secretary of State Monroe that British attacks will occur unless the U.S. makes reparation to the suffering inhabitants of Upper Canada. Dated from "His Britannic Majesty's Ship the Tornnant in the Patusan [Patuxet?] River"

GLC06863

1836/02/25

Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845

Manuscript document signed

Title: Pardon of Leonard Prather (c/s John Forsyth)

Convicted of stealing money from letters as assistant postmaster

GLC06868.01

1837/12/26

Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862

Manuscript document signed

Title: Pardon of George Anderson (c/s John Forsyth)

Convicted of an assault and battery on Captain Hilliard of Ship Draper

GLC06868.02

1848/07/05

Polk, James K. (James Knox), 1795-1849

Manuscript document signed

Title: Pardon of Edward King (c/s James Buchanan)

Convicted of transferring forged papers to the treasury in exchange for money

GLC06868.03

1915/07/10

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Typed letter signed

Title: to W. S. Rainsford

Writes of Creel: "He can only find inconsistencies precisely as he can find them in the writings of Washington or Lincoln- that is, an occasional honest and necessary change of mind and ...circumstances which necessitated a change on my part, precisely as Lincoln's attitude toward emancipation changed in 1861 as compared to 1858 and in 1863 as compared to 1861." With insertions and corrections in Roosevelt's hand. Some water damage to inks.

GLC06881

1850/01/01-15

Garfield, James A. (James Abram), 1831-1881

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Samuel Bates re: schoolroom experiences; opinion re: the "Christmas Religion"

Written while employed as a young school teacher in Northeast Ohio. Includes accounts of two altercations with disobedient schoolboys.

GLC06786

[1815]/05/15

Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845

Letter signed

Title: to James Winchester re: procedures of court of inquiry

For conduct of resigned officers. The letter, dated "Nashville 23, May 15" should actually be dated 1815; Winchester responded on June 5, 1815, per the Andrew Jackson Papers

GLC06789.01

1821/03/12

Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845

Autograph letter signed

Title: to James Winchester re: tour to "Bluff and Back Again"

Differing opinions on how to equally divide land. Waterstains on the top third affect appearance but not legibility.

GLC06789.02

1842/08/01

Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845

Autograph letter signed

Title: to James W. Breedlove re: his anger about Sen. Conrad's attack on him

"The attack of Mr. Conrad in the United States Senate upon me...He had hitherto in all his public speeches approved my course..." Requests History of Judge Martin and declares....the reign of the Whiggs will terminate with the present Congress, when honest men will again be brought into power...." The letter has some severe bleedthrough, affecting legibility.

GLC06789.03

1842/10/03

Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845

Autograph letter signed

Title: to James W. Breedlove re: Martin's history of Louisiana, Clay's attacks on him

Jackson mentions receipt of Judge Martin's history of Louisiana and describes his belef that Henry Clay influenced the writing of Morten and the attack on Jackson by Senator Conrad: "should Mr. Conrad take back his slander and do me justice, he will be spared."

GLC06789.04