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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.

Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 to Joseph Cabell

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC04108.01 Author/Creator: Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 Place Written: Monticello, Virginia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 6 January 1818 Pagination: 3 p. : docket : Height: 25.1 cm, Width: 19.4 cm Order a Copy

Concerns difficulties in getting the Virginia legislature to approve the establishment of the University of Virginia and its general educational system. Asks Cabell to sign a report regarding the college's finances (GLC04108.02), then deliver it to Governor of Virginia James Preston. Mentions hope that a published report of their views will spur subscriptions, and provide for more professorships. They hope to hire Thomas Cooper to teach law. Much of the legislative opposition to the University of Virginia came from the House of Delegates and supporters of the College of William and Mary. Professor Cooper never joined the University, in part because he was attacked in matters of religion. Recipient inferred, because Cabell was the person who delivered the report to Governor Preston.

Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826

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