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.

Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848 to Joseph Blunt

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC06312 Author/Creator: Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848 Place Written: Washington, District of Columbia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 1832/11/27 Pagination: 1 p. : docket Height: 25.3 cm, Width: 20.3 cm Order a Copy

Discusses an example of a British sailor executed for serving on an American ship during the war of 1812. Also discusses Andrew Jackson's election, de-emphasizing its importance, and comments that "the real difficulties of the Country are in another quarter," referring to slavery and the nullification crisis. Closes by quipping: "Van Buren seems to have got the start of Mr. Calhoun, but the whirligig of Time brings about its revenges."

Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848
Blunt, Joseph, 1792-1860
Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources