American History: Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform 1493-1859

This unique collection documents American History from the earliest settlers…It is sourced from the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the finest archives available for the study of American History. This Module has three major sub-collections: 

Henry Knox Papers -This is a crucial collection of documents that sheds light on the revolutionary era and the beginnings of the new nation. It charts Boston bookseller Henry Knox’s journey to the heights of George Washington’s second in command and office as Secretary of War for the new nation. It contains fascinating correspondence between Knox and George Washington and the correspondence between Knox, his wife and relatives is an enlightening insight into marital and family life during this era. 

Livingston Family Papers -This sub-collection is a rich source of information on 17th and 18th century colonial life. It focuses on the merchant family of Robert Livingston (1654-1728) with frequent themes being family tensions, cash flow problems, mercantile difficulties and colonial politics. 

Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1493-1859 – This collection contains an enormous amount of unique manuscript material that gives testament to Colonial America through papers of early settlers such as Richard Grenville, William Penn and Peter Stuyvesant. It covers colonial politics, the French and Indian War and the road to revolution with letters such as Prime Minister Pitt’s insistence on the colonies paying for war. There is a huge amount of material on the Revolutionary War and the New Nation with key political documents and correspondence of generals and statesmen such as George Washington, Lafayette, Horatio Gates and Thomas Jefferson to name but a few…This sub-collection also covers the relations with Native American Indians, the War of 1812, westward expansion, the Mexican-American War and of course, the fierce debates over slavery and the eve of the Civil War.

This collection can be searched together with other Adam Matthew databases to find material in, for example, the C.O. 5 collection of colonial office material, and publications of the Church Missionary Society.