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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.

Laurens, Henry, 1724-1792 to William Alexander

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02532 Author/Creator: Laurens, Henry, 1724-1792 Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 24 November 1778 Pagination: 2 p. : docket ; Height: 24 cm, Width: 20 cm Order a Copy

Laurens, as president of congress, writes to the Earl of Stirling about the distribution of "the Treaties of Amity & Commerce & of Alliance" with France and trade relations with the United Provinces. He also bemoans the loss of virtue and unity which America had in 1775, decrying avarice and profiteering.

Laurens, Henry, 1724-1792
Alexander, William, 1726-1783

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