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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.

Clarke, Matthew St. Clair, 1791-1852 [American Colonization Society circular proposing steamship line between the United States and Africa]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05492 Author/Creator: Clarke, Matthew St. Clair, 1791-1852 Place Written: Washington, District of Columbia Type: Printed letter signed Date: 31 May 1850 Pagination: 1 p. : address Height: 25.2 cm, Width: 19.8 cm Order a Copy

Addressed to "His Excellency the Gov of NJ" (Daniel Haines). Signed by [Matthew St. Clair Clarke]. Copy of the memorial of Joseph Bryan, of Alabama, to Congress, proposing to establish a line of steam ships between the U.S. and Africa. Cites the need for maintaining a naval force on the western coast of Africa, the need for extinguishing the slave trade, to extend trade between the United States and Africa, and to convey that emancipated people can emigrate to Africa, if they wish.

Haines, Daniel, 1801-1877
Clarke, Matthew St. Clair, 1791-1852
Bryan, Joseph, fl. 1850-1862

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