Inside the Vault

Inside the Vault

Inside the Vault is a monthly online program that highlights unique primary sources from the Gilder Lehrman Collection. Curators and scholars discuss historical documents from iconic treasures, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Emancipation Proclamation, to personal letters that reveal the contributions of ordinary Americans.

 

*Please note that each program is recorded and sent via email the following day to all registered participants.*

 

 

Image: Abraham Lincoln, Emancipation Proclamation, General Orders No. 1, 1863 (The Gilder Lehrman Institute, GLC00460)

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Detail from Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation with focus on text "By the President of the United States of America. A Proclamation"

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Upcoming Program

Inside the Vault: Washington Gets His Guns: Henry Knox and the “Noble Train”

Date: December 4, 2025
Time: 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT)
Guest Historian: Professor Phil Hamilton, Christoper Newport University 
Featured Document: Letter from Henry Knox to George Washington, 1775

During the stormy winter of 1775–1776, Col. Henry Knox, George Washington’s 25-year-old chief of artillery, and his teamsters moved a mammoth sixty tons of artillery from Fort Ticonderoga across the Hudson River and through the Berkshires to Boston to help drive the British out of the city. Crossing snow and ice, the men relied on ox- and horse-drawn wagons and sledges to traverse the perilous terrain and help achieve this early Revolutionary War victory. Join us on December 4, 2025, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT) when our curators discuss Henry Knox’s epic expedition with Dr. Phil Hamilton, professor of history at Christopher Newport University.

Submit questions for Prof. Phil Hamilton.

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Knox to Washington, 1775

Related Resources for the Upcoming Program

Historical Documents

Spotlights on Primary Sources

Each Spotlight on a document from the Gilder Lehrman Collection provides explanatory text, a transcript, and an image of the featured document.

Essays

Gilder Lehrman Essays

Online Exhibitions

Online Exhibitions

The Gilder Lehrman Institute has more than eighty online exhibitions that cover American history from the colonial era to the present day.


 

Videos

Inside the Vault

Book Breaks

Other Gilder Lehrman Videos

Lesson Plans

Elementary School Students

Middle and High School Students

Future Programs

Engraving of Retreat from Long Island Aug. 29 1776

Continental Army Soldiers' Experiences at Valley Forge and Beyond

Our curators will discuss the living conditions and daily experiences of Continental Army soldiers with author and journalist Dr. Rick Atkinson, recipient of the 2020 George Washington Prize.

  • January 8, 2026
  • 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT)
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James Forten's "Letters from a Man of Color"

James Forten’s “Letters from a Man of Colour”

Our curators will discuss “Letters from a Man of Colour” by James Forten with Dr. Julie Winch, historian and author of A Gentleman of Color: The Life of James Forten.

  • February 5, 2026
  • 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT)
Register

Program Archive

View the complete archive of Inside the Vault recordings, presentation slides, and related resources. Our past programs have featured documents from throughout American history and guest presentations by historians, teachers, curators, and Hamilton cast members.

View the Program Archive