Search | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

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Declaration of Independence, 1776

Government and Civics

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

During the spring of 1776, colonies, localities, and groups of ordinary Americans—including New York mechanics, Pennsylvania militiamen, and South Carolina grand juries—adopted resolutions endorsing independence. These resolutions...

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Don’t Buy a Ford Ever Again, ca. 1960

5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

New Orleans in 1960 was sharply divided over the practice of segregation. The schools were ordered to desegregate, which angered many white people. Members of the Citizens’ Council of Greater New Orleans believed that large companies...

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Surrender of the British General Cornwallis to the Americans, October 19, 1781

World History

5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

These three documents—a map, a manuscript, and a print—tell the story of the surrender of British commander Charles Cornwallis to American General George Washington. In October 1781, the successful siege of Yorktown, Virginia, by...

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Davy Crockett on the removal of the Cherokees, 1834

Government and Civics

5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

In this letter, written in December 1834, Davy Crockett complains about President Andrew Jackson’s forced removal of the Cherokees from their homes to Oklahoma. Crockett opposed that policy and feared Vice President Martin Van Buren...

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Death of a soldier, 1863: Paul Semmes

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

The Civil War was the bloodiest in the nation’s history, with 618,000 Union and Confederate soldiers perishing in the war. Among the nearly 8,000 men mortally wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863 were twelve commanding...

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JFK on the containment of Communism, 1952

Economics, World History

In August 1952, as he was campaigning for the US Senate, John F. Kennedy addressed the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Federation of Labor. This manuscript is a draft of the speech Kennedy delivered before the influential labor...

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Map of the New World, with European settlements and American Indian tribes, 1730

Geography

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

This map, "Recens edita totius Novi Belgii in America Septentrionali," depicts present-day New England, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and parts of Maryland and Pennsylvania. Created by Dutch mapmakers in 1730, the map reflects the...

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A bond for the manumission of a slave, 1757

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

In 1757, New York tavern keeper Eve Scurlock freed five slaves in her will, citing their fidelity, service, and good behavior. Among them was a woman named Ann, to whom Scurlock also willed money, clothing, and household items. Though...

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Spain authorizes Coronado's conquest in the Southwest, 1540

7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

This letter, written on behalf of the king of Spain by Francisco Garcia de Loaysa, the president of the Council of the Indies, acknowledges Francisco Coronado’s report of the famous Niza expedition of the previous year and authorizes...

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The Province of Massachusetts Bay requests aid from Queen Anne, 1708

Economics, Government and Civics

9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Queen Anne’s War (1702–1713) was the second of four great wars for empire fought among France and England and their Indian allies. This struggle broke out when the French raided English settlements on the New England frontier....

Site Search

90,945 items

Declaration of Independence, 1776

Don’t Buy a Ford Ever Again, ca. 1960

Surrender of the British General Cornwallis to the Americans, October 19, 1781

Davy Crockett on the removal of the Cherokees, 1834

Death of a soldier, 1863: Paul Semmes

JFK on the containment of Communism, 1952

Map of the New World, with European settlements and American Indian tribes, 1730

A bond for the manumission of a slave, 1757

Spain authorizes Coronado's conquest in the Southwest, 1540

The Province of Massachusetts Bay requests aid from Queen Anne, 1708

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