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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.

Adams, John, 1735-1826 To Benjamin Rush

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC08023 Author/Creator: Adams, John, 1735-1826 Place Written: Quincy, Massachusetts Type: Autograph letter signed Date: September 1807 ca. Pagination: 4 pages : address : Height: 22.6 cm, Width: 18.5 cm Order a Copy

Scathing assessment of Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, and Lafayette. "Washington had great advantages for obtaining Credence. He possessed a great Fortune, immense Lands, many Slaves, an excellent Consort, no Children."

Adams, John, 1735-1826
Washington, George, 1732-1799
Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
Lafayette, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier, marquis de, 1757-1834
Hamilton, Alexander, 1757-1804
Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826
Rush, Benjamin, 1746-1813

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