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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.

Benjamin, Judah Philip, 1811-1884 to Jefferson Davis

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC06619.02 Author/Creator: Benjamin, Judah Philip, 1811-1884 Place Written: Richmond, Virginia Type: Letter signed Date: 28 December 1863 Pagination: 1 p. : docket Height: 34 cm, Width: 21 cm Order a Copy

Confederate Secretary of State Benjamin sends draft instructions (not included) for a proposed diplomatic minister to be sent to Mexico, on which Davis then sought the Confederate Senate's advice (see GLC06619.01). Recommends secrecy to avoid the United States trying to thwart their efforts. A list of dates and related administrative actions chart the progress of the resolutions until they were agreed to on 5 January 1864.

Benjamin, Judah Philip, 1811-1884
Davis, Jefferson, 1808-1889

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