Our Collection

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.

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841 to John Brown Dillon

Order a pdf of this item here.

A high-resolution version of this object is available for registered users. LOG IN

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02946 Author/Creator: Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841 Place Written: North Bend, Ohio Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 12 December 1838 Pagination: 3 p. : address ; Height: 24.8 cm, Width: 20 cm Order a Copy

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 Emphasizes he is writing as a friend, not for publication.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 signed by W. H. H. Terrell.

Harrison, William Henry, 1773-1841

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources