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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.

Hancock, John, 1737-1793 to Joseph Clarke

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00987 Author/Creator: Hancock, John, 1737-1793 Place Written: Boston, Massachusetts Type: Autograph letter signed Date: March 9, 1779 Pagination: 1 p. : Height: 24 cm, Width: 20 cm Order a Copy

Hancock writes to Treasurer Clarke that he must deny his request for a loan, as the state is too burdened with debt. " ... the Situation of our publick Funds, & the large Calls for Money by Loans for the Service of the State, makes it impossible to obtain Loans for any other purposes."

Hancock, John, 1737-1797
Clarke, Joseph, 1719-1792

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