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.

[Petition of a free black to become a slave of W.C. Lewis]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC06375 Author/Creator: Place Written: Gillespie, Texas Type: Manuscript document Date: 1858/10/04 Pagination: 1 p. : Height: 30.5 cm, Width: 18.9 cm Order a Copy

Ann Jackson's petition to become the property of W. C. Lewis, signed by her with an "X". The document was based on an Act of the Texas Legislature "Free persons of African descent [may] select their own master and become slaves...." With stamp of Company seal. For related documents see GLC08955, GLC03840, and GLC09123.

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