News "Document of the Month" - July 2014 If you don’t see the full story below, click here (PDF) or click here (Google Docs) to read it—free!
News "Document of the Month" - August 2014 If you don’t see the full story below, click here (PDF) or click here (Google Docs) to read it—free!
News "Document of the Month" - September 2014 If you don’t see the full story below, click here (PDF) or click here (Google Docs) to read it—free!
News "Document of the Month" - October 2014 If you don’t see the full story below, click here (PDF) or click here (Google Docs) to read it—free!
News "Document of the Month" - November 2014 If you don’t see the full story below, click here (PDF) or click here (Google Docs) to read it—free!
News A letter from a slave to his mother, 1859 Sometimes documents leave us with more questions than answers. That is definitely true for this letter of October 8, 1859, from an unidentified man to his mother—both of whom appear to be slaves! The author refers twice to having a...
News Portraits of Jane and Franklin Pierce These miniature portraits of Jane and Franklin Pierce, attributed to artist Moses B. Russell, were painted shortly after the couple was married in 1834. Measuring only 4 ¼ inches tall by 3 ½ inches wide, the paintings have gilt-metal...
News A Civil War soldier’s sketchbook Between battles, marches, and military exercises, Civil War soldiers spent their free time in camp playing music, writing and reading letters, and, for those with the skill, sketching scenes from the day. This unknown soldier’s...
News The diary of a sailor on the eve of Pearl Harbor In the fall of 1941 Thomas Barwiss Hagstoz Askin Jr. was on board USS Memphis counting down the days until his enlistment in the United States Navy ended. He recorded his experience in a diary he entitled "Memorys and Incidents of My...
News The manumission of Frederick Douglass After his escape from slavery in 1838, Frederick Douglass became a well-known orator and abolitionist. In 1845, he wrote an autobiography that increased his influence, but also increased the chances that he would be captured and...