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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.

Olney, Jeremiah, 1749-1812 to Henry Knox

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.04027 Author/Creator: Olney, Jeremiah, 1749-1812 Place Written: Providence, Rhode Island Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 5 November 1788 Pagination: 2 p. : address : docket ; Height: 31 cm, Width: 10 cm Order a Copy

Briefly mentions military business related to arms and powder, then discusses the progress of ratification of the Constitution in Rhode Island. Writes that Rhode Island "again Refused to appoint a Convention for Considering the New Constitution in the Legal mode- the Question was put on Saturday last in the House of Deputies for a Convention, when after much debate it was Negativ'd by a Majority of three to one- after which (Mr. Hazzard an Implacable & potent Enemy to the New System & the Leading Character in all the Vile Politicks Carrying on in this Devoted State) brought forward a motion for Distributing Copies of the Circular Letter from the New York Convention... The Minority both in and out of the House took unwearied pains (during the Session) to obtain a Convention for Considering the New System in a Constitutional way- but Sir Reason & Argument avails nothing with those Vile Opposers to order and Good Government..."

Olney, Jeremiah, 1749-1812
Knox, Henry, 1750-1806
Hazard, Jonathan J., 1744-1824

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