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.

Atchison, David Rice, 1807-1886 to James William Denver

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05574 Author/Creator: Atchison, David Rice, 1807-1886 Place Written: Washington, District of Columbia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 5 April 1850 Pagination: 2 p. : envelope : free frank Height: 18.5 cm, Width: 12.3 cm Order a Copy

Reports the voting inclinations of several Missouri delegates to the Congressional Convention. Discusses the possible opposition of the Wilmot Proviso, but is confident that California will be admitted as a state. See collateral files for 1 November 1965 letter by Anne Atchinson concerning this letter. The Wilmot Proviso, named after Pennsylvania senator David Wilmot, was a congressional proposal in the 1840's to prohibit the extension of slavery into the territories. Imprint in upper left corner reads "Paris."

Atchison, David Rice, 1807-1886
Denver, James William, 1817-1892

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources