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.

Madison, James, 1751-1836 [Pardon of Michael Bright and eight others for obstructing justice].

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00045.01 Author/Creator: Madison, James, 1751-1836 Place Written: Washington, District of Columbia Type: Document signed Date: May 6,1809 Pagination: 2 p. ; 40 x 26 cm Order a Copy

Countersigned by Secretary of State Robert Smith. Pardoned by Madison because their crimes arose from a sense of duty, not disobediance. The recipients of the pardon were Michael Bright, James Atkinson, William Cole, Charles Westfall, Samuel Wilkins, Abraham Ogden, Daniel Phyle, Charles Horey and John Knife. They were convicted in Philadelphia.

Bright, Michael, fl. 1809
Atkinson, James, fl. 1809
Cole, William, fl. 1809
Westfall, Charles, fl. 1809
Wilkins, Samuel, fl. 1809
Ogden, Abraham, fl. 1809
Phyle, Daniel, fl. 1809
Horey, Charles, fl. 1809
Knife, John, fl. 1809
Smith, Robert, fl. 1776-1809
Madison, James, 1751-1836

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources