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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.

Adams, John, 1735-1826 to Elbridge Gerry

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC04425 Author/Creator: Adams, John, 1735-1826 Place Written: Braintree, Massachusetts Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 1779/11/04 Pagination: 3 p. : docket ; Height: 22.8 cm, Width: 18.7 cm Order a Copy

A fond leave-taking signed "God bless you" at the end. The letter also discusses his firm belief in the need for separate powers, his acceptance of an appointment as commissioner to France and his wish that Gerry might send him intelligence from America.

Adams, John, 1735-1826
Gerry, Elbridge, 1744-1814

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