Primary Sources of Early America
Maps
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Portraits
- John Adams
- Samuel Adams
- John Andre
- Benedict Aronld
- Daniel Boone
- Gen. Charles Cornwallis
- Benjamin Franklin
- King George III
- Horatio Gates
- Nathanael Greene
- Alexander Hamilton
- John Hancock
- Patrick Henry
- John Jay
- Thomas Jefferson
- Henry Knox
- Marquis de Lafayette
- James Madison
- Francis Marion
- Increase Mather
- James Monroe
- Thomas Paine
- Arthur St. Clair
- Baron von Steuben
- George Washington
- Anthony Wayne
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1600
[A recurring source of quotation, reference and allusion in speeches and writings]
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1650
- Proclamation of First Thanksgiving
- 1662, Charter of Connecticut
- 1663, Charter of Carolina : March 24, 1663
- 1664, Grant of the Province of Maine
- 1664, The Duke of York's Release to John Ford Berkeley, and Sir George Carteret regarding New Jersey, 24 June
- 1665, The Concession and Agreement of the Lords Proprietors of the Province of New Caesarea, or New Jersey, to and With All and Every the Adventurers and All Such as Shall Settle or Plant There
- 1665, Charter of Carolina : June 30, 1665
- 1668, Brief Observations Concerning Trade and Interest of Money by Josiah Childs
- 1672, A Declaration of the True Intent and Meaning of us the Lords Proprietors, and Explanation of There Concessions Made to the Adventurers and Planters of New Caesarea or New Jersey
- 1674, His Royal Highness's Grant to the Lords Proprietors, Sir George Carteret, 29 July
- 1674, Grant of the Province of Maine
- 1676, Charles II's Grant of New England to the Duke of York
- 1676, The Charter or Fundamental Laws, of West New Jersey, Agreed Upon
- 1676, Quintipartite Deed of Revision, Between E. and W Jersey: 1 July
- 1676, Governor William Berkely on Bacon's Rebellion, 19 May
- 1676, Bacon's Declaration in the Name of the People, 30 July
- 1680 8 September An account of the Pueblo Revolt by Don Antonio de Otermin, governor and captain-general of New Mexico
- 1680, Duke of York's Second Grant to William Penn, Gawn Lawry, Nicholas Lucas, John Eldridge, Edmund Warner, and Edward Byllynge, for the Soil and Government of West New Jersey, 6 August
- 1680, Commission of John Cutt Regarding New Hampshire
- 1681, Charter for the Province of Pennsylvania : February 28, 1681
- 1681, Province of West New-Jersey, in America, The 25th of the Ninth Month Called November
- 1682, Duke of York's Confirmation to the 24 Proprietors of East New Jersey, 14 March
- 1683, The Fundamental Constitutions for the Province of East New Jersey in America
- 1684, Samuel de Champlain, Voyages
- 1687, Memoir... Dangers That Threaten Canada and the Means to Remedy Them, January
- 1688, Commission of Sir Edmund Andros for the Dominion of New England. April 7
- 1689, Cotton Mather, Memorable Providences, Relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions
- 1690, Comptroller-General De Monseignat, The French Capture of Schenectady
- 1691, The Charter of Massachusetts Bay. October 7
- 1691 February 19, Warrant vs. Tituba and Sarah Osborne during the Salem Witchcraft Trials
- 1692, Cotton Mather, The Tryal of G[eorge] B[urroughs] at a Court of Oyer and Terminer Held in Salem
- 1693, Penn, William, Some Fruits of Solitude
- 1693, Cotton Mather, "The Wonders of the Invisible World"
- 1697, Penn's Plan for a Union
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1700
- 1701 October 28, Charter of Privileges Granted by William Penn, esq. to the Inhabitants of Pennsylvania and Territories
- 1701 December 31, King William Addresses Parliament on the French Question
- 1701, Charter of Delaware
- 1702, Surrender from the Proprietors of East and West New Jersey, of Their Pretended Right of Government to Her Majesty
-
1702-1740, Colonel Miles Brewton and Others, "The Evil Deeds of the Spaniards"
[dealing with Spanish incursions into South Caroline - 1704, Robert Beverley on Bacon's Rebellion
- 1709 17 April, The Queen's Acceptance of the Surrender of Government
- 1712, Charles II's Grant of New England to the Duke of York, 1676, Exemplified by Queen Anne
- 1715, The North Carolina Biennial Act
-
1720-1772, John Woolman, The Journal of John Woolman
[The Inner Life of a Quaker and Early Abolitionist] - 1723, October, Benjamin Franklin, "How I Became a Printer in Philadelphia
- 1724, Cotton Mather, "The Last Days of Increase Mather"
- Cotton Mather, The Duties of Children to their Parents
- Cotton Mather, The Duties of Parents To Their Children
- Cotton Mather, The Education of Children
- 1724, March, " Black Code" of Louisiana
- 1726 July 22, Benjamin Franklin, Journal of Occurrences in My Voyage to Philadelphia on board the Berkshire, Henry Clark, Master. From London
- 1725 26 August, Explanatory Charter of Massachusetts Bay
- 1728 11 September, Massachusetts House of Representatives on the Governor's Salary
- 1728 17 September, Governor Burnet of Massachusetts on the Governor's Salary,
- 1732, Charter of Georgia
- 1733, Franklin, Benjamin: Poor Richard
- 1734, Franklin, Benjamin: Poor Richard
- 1735, Franklin, Benjamin: Poor Richard
- 1736, Franklin, Benjamin: Poor Richard
- 1736 18 October, Governor Gabriel Johnston's request to repeal the Biennial Act,
- 1737, Franklin, Benjamin: Poor Richard
- 1737, Disposition of the North Carolina Biennial Act
- 1738, Franklin, Benjamin: Poor Richard
- 1739, Franklin, Benjamin: Poor Richard
- 1740, Franklin, Benjamin: Poor Richard
- 1741, Franklin, Benjamin: Poor Richard
- 1741 July 8, Jonathan Edwards. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,
- 1742, Franklin, Benjamin: Poor Richard
- 1743, Franklin, Benjamin: Poor Richard
- 1744, Franklin, Benjamin: Poor Richard
- 1745, Franklin, Benjamin: Poor Richard
- 1745 March 23, Captain Samuel Curwen,"The Louisburg Expedition"
- 1746, Franklin, Benjamin: Poor Richard
- 1747, Franklin, Benjamin: Poor Richard
- 1748, Franklin, Benjamin: Poor Richard Improved
1750
- 1750, Jonathan Mayhew A Discourse Concerning Unlimited Submission and Non-Resistance to the Higher Powers
- 1750, Petition to Parliament: Reasons for making bar, as well as pig or sow-iron, ca. 1750
- Petition to Parliament: Reason against a general prohibition of the Iron Manufacture in Plantations
- 1750, Memoir on the English Aggression, October 1750
- 1750 December , Memoir on the French Colonies in North America
- 1750, Gottlieb Mittelberger, "On the Misfortune of Indentured Servants"
- 1751, Governor Glen, The Role of the Indians in the Rivalry Between France, Spain, and England
- 1752, Franklin, Benjamin: Poor Richard Improved
- 1753, Franklin, Benjamin: Poor Richard Improved
- French and Indian War Overview Maps
- 1754 The Albany Plan for a Union
- Samuel Davies, "The Curse of Cowardice"
- 1755 July 16, French Account of the defeat of the English force under General Braddock
-
1755 September 8, Letter from Baron de Dieskau to Count d'Argenson
[concerning his defeat in the Battle of Lake George] - 1706-1757, Benjamin Franklin, His Autobiography
- 1759, Standing Orders for Rogers' Rangers
- 1759 Franklin, Benjamin: Poor Richard Improved
- 1759 December 13, General Townshend, "The Capture of Quebec"
- 1759 December 13, Col. John Knox, "The Fall of Quebec" [.pdf file]
- 1761, James Otis. Against the Writs of Assistance
- 1761, James Otis, "In Opposition to Writs of Assistance"
- 1761 Governor Glen, The Role of the Indians in the Rivalry Between France, Spain, and England
- 1765 Daniel Dulany, Considerations, October
- 1765 Soame Jenyns, The Objections to the taxation consider'd
- 1765 October 19, The Resolutions of the Stamp Act Congress
- 1766 January 14, William Pitt's speech on the Stamp Act,
- 1766 March 19, An Act Repealing the Stamp Ac.
- 1766, Benjamin Franklin, "His Examination Before the House of Commons"
- 1767-1768 John Dickenson's Letter 2, from Letters from a Farmer
- 1767-1768 John Dickenson's Letter 4, from Letters from a Farmer
- 1768 April 21, Circular Letter to the Governors in America
- 1768 August 1, Boston Non-Importation Agreement
- 1769 July 22, Charleston Non-Importation Agreement
- 1770 March 5, Anonymous Account of the Boston Massacre
- 1770 March 13, Captain Thomas Preston's account of the Boston Massacre
- 1773 April 29, Peter Bestes , "Letter from Boston"
- 1773 August 1-6, The Association of the Virginia Convention
- 1773 December 15, Association of the Sons of Liberty in New York
- 1774, James Logan, Chief of the Mingo Nation, "Letter to to Lord Dunmore"
- 1774 March 5, John Hancock, Boston Massacre Oration
- 1774 March 31, The Boston Port Act, London
- 1774 May 13, Circular Letter of the Boston Committee of Correspondence
- 1774 Thomas Jefferson, A Summary View of the Rights of British America
- 1774 October 20, The Articles of Association
-
1774, James Wilson, Considerations on the Nature and Extent of the Legislative Authority of the British Parliament
1775
- WWW-VL: History: US Revolutionary Era
- 1775 January 9, Daniel Leonard's letter
- 1775 February 6, John Adams, Novanglus
- 1775 March 22, Edmund Burke speech on conciliation with America
- 1775 April 22, Lt.-Col. Nith, Report on the Battle of Lexington [.pdf file]
- 1775 May 29, Letter to the Inhabitants of Canada
- 1775 May 30, Letter from Lord North
- 1775 May 31, The Charlotte Town Resolves
- 1775, Patrick Henry: "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death"
- 1775 June 2, Letter from the Provincial Convention of Massachusetts"
- 1775 June 17, Commission of General George Washington"
- 1775 June 20, Instructions to General George Washington"
-
1775 June 22, Major-General Sir John Burgoyne to Lord Stanley
[British account of the Battle of Bunker Hill] - 1775 June 22, Lieutenant Waller, Royal Marines, "Account of the Battle of Bunker Hill" [.pdf file]
- 1775, Articles of War, June 30
- 1775 July 8, John Dickinson, "The Declaration on Taking up Arms,"
- 1775 July 8, Petition to the King,"
- 1775 July 13, Speech to the Six Nations,"
- 1775 July 21, Franklin's Articles of Confederation
- 1775 July 25, Address to the Assembly of Jamaica
- 1775 July 28, Address to the People of Ireland
- 1775 August 23, King George of England, Proclamation of Rebellion
-
1776, Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations
[The "Bible" of Free Trade and Laissez-Faire Capitalism] - 1776, Samuel Adams, "On American Independence"
- Yankee Doodle
- 1776, Constitution of Delaware
- 1776, Constitution of New Hampshire
- 1776, Constitution of New Jersey
- 1776 February 14, Thomas Paine, Common Sense
- 1776, The Virginia Declaration of Rights, June 12
- 1776, Samuel West, "On the Right to Rebel against Governors"
- 1776, Resolution of Richard Henry Lee in the Continental Congress; June 7
- 1776, Resolution on the Hancock; June 8
- 1776, Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence
- 1776 July 4, Declaration of Independence
- 1776 July 12, Journal of the Continental Congress. Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union
- 1776, Charles Inglis, "The True Interest of America Impartially Stated"
- 1776 August 1, Adams, Samuel, American Independence
- Jefferson's notes on Slavery
- 1776, Letter of George Washington to John Hancock, September 24
- 1776, Plan of the Treaties with France, September 17
- 1776, Articles of War, September 20
- 1776, Instructions to the Agent , September 24
- 1776 November 11, Constitution of Maryland
- 1776, Jopseph Brand, "Letter to Lord George Germaine"
-
1777 January 20, General Burgoyne's letter to his nieces [.pdf file]
[discussing his defeat by American forces at the Battle of Saratoga] - 1777 February 5, Constitution of Georgia
- 1777 August 14, Observations on the slaves and the indented servants, enlisted in the army, and in the navy of the United States
-
1777 September 11, Captain Ferguson's account of the Battle of Brandywine
[A British officer's view] - Constitution of the State of New York
-
1777 October 16, Articles of Convention Between Lieutenant-General Burgoyne and Major General Gates
[Aftermath of the Battle of Saratoga] - 1777, Albigence Waldo, From the diary of a Surgeon at Valley Forge
- US Articles of Confederation
- 1776-1783, Thomas Paine, The American Crisis
- 1776, Samuel Cooper, A Sermon on the Day of the Commencement of the Constitution
-
1777 September 11, Captain Ferguson's account of the Battle of Brandywine
[A British officer's view] -
1777 January 20, General Burgoyne's letter to his nieces [.pdf file]
[discussing his defeat by American forces at the Battle of Saratoga] - 1773 April 29, Peter Bestes , Letter from Boston"
- 1777 August 14, Observations on the slaves and the indented servants, inlisted in the army, and in the navy of the United States
- 1777, Constitution of the State of Vermont
- 1778 February 6, Treaty of Alliance with France
-
1778 July 4, Lieutenant Hale's account of the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse [.pdf file]
[A British officer's view] - 1778, Draft for a Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom, by Jefferson
-
1778 July 4, Lieutenant Hale's account of the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse [.pdf file]
[A British officer's view] - 1780, Constitution of the State of Massachusetts
- 1780, An Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery, Pennsylvania; March 1, 1780
- 1781 October 18, Articles of Capitulation [Cornwallis' Surrender at Yorktown
- 1781 October 20, General Cornwallis account of the surrender of British forces at Yorktown [.pdf file]
- 1781, From the diary of Ebenezer Denny, describing the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown
- 1781, Articles of Confederation; March 1
- 1782, Thomas Jefferson, Commerce between Master and Slave
- 1782 J. Hector St. John De Crevecoeur, Letters From An American Farmer
- 1782 July 16, Contract Between the King and the Thirteen United States of North America, signed at Versailles
- 1783, Treaty of Paris
- 1783, Contract Between the King and the Thirteen United States of North America
- 1783, Constitution of the State of New Hampshire
- 1784 February 19, George Wallace, "From the United States chronicle, Thursday, February 19, 1784"
-
1785 June 20, James Madison, "Memorial and Remonstrance"
[regarding the separation of Church and State] - 1785 ca., George III, Letter on the loss of America
- 1786 The Annapolis Convention
- 1786, Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
- 1786 The Barbary Treaties
1787
- WWW-VL: History: US Constitutional Era
- 1787, The Federalist Papers [Audio MP-3 Version]
- 1787, The Anti-Federalist Papers
- 1787 June 21, Record of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787
- 1787, Franklin, Benjamin. Disapproving and Accepting the Constitution
- 1787, Benjamin Franklin, "Dangers of a Salaried Bureaucracy"
- 1787, The Northwest Ordinance
- 1787 October 6, Wilson, James, State House Yard Speech on the Constitution,
- 1787, Benjamin Franklin, "On the Federal Constitution"
- Letter of Transmittal of US Constitution
- 1788, Patrick Henry, "Shall Liberty or Empire Be Sought?"
- 1788, John Marshall, "On the Federal Constitution"
- Constitution of the State of New York
- 1788, Alexander Hamilton, "On the Adoption of the Federal Constitution"
-
1788 June 7, Corbin, Francis. Answering Patrick Henry
[criticism of the Constitutional powers of the government] - 1789, James Madison, speech proposing the Bill of Rights, June 8, 1789
- 1788, William Pinkney, "For the Relief of Slaves"
-
Bill of Rights and the Amendments to The Constitution
- Presidential Oath of Office
- 1789, George Washington, First Inaugural Address
- 1790, Constitution of the State of Rhode Island
- 1790 January 8, First Annual Message of George Washington
- 1790 December 8, Second Annual Message of George Washington
- 1790 July 16, Residence Act
- 1791 October 21, Third Annual Message
- 1792 November 6, Fourth Annual Message of George Washington
- 1793 December 3, Fifth Annual Message
- 1793, George Washington, Second Inaugural Address
- 1793 April 22, The Proclamation of Neutrality
- 1793 December 3, Fifth Annual Message
- 1793 Alexander Hamilton, "Opinion as to the Constitutionality of the Bank of the United States"
- 1793, Fugitive Slave Law of 1793
- 1794, Eli Whitney's Cotton Gin
- 1794 November 19, Sixth Annual Message of George Washington
- 1795 December 8, Seventh Annual Message
-
1795 August 3, Greenville Treaty with a number of Indian Tribes
[Wyandots, Delawares, Shawanoes, Ottawas, Chipewas, Putawatimes, Miamis, Eel-river, Weea's, Kickapoos, Piankashaws, and Kaskaskias] - 1795, Farmer's Almanack
- 1791 October 6, Major-General Arthur Saint Clair, Movements of the Army [.pdf file]
- 1791 November 11, Major-General Arthur Saint Clair, Movements of the Army [.pdf file]
- 1791 November 9, Major-General Arthur Saint Clair. "Battle of the Wabash" [.pdf file]
- 1796 December 7, Eighth Annual Message
- 1796, Fisher Ames, "On the Treaty with Great Britain"
- 1797, Washington's Farewell Address
- 1797, John Adams Inaugural Address
- 1797 November 22, First Annual Message of John Adams
- 1798, The Sedition Act
- 1798 July 6, The Alien Act, An Act Respecting Alien Enemies
- 1798 July 12, Sailing Orders for the USS Constitution, Captain Samuel Nicholson Commanding [.pdf file]
- 1798 September 12, Captain Samuel Nicholson on the Capture of HMS Niger by the USS Constitution [.pdf file]
- 1798 December 8, Second Annual Message
- 1798, The Virginia Resolution
- 1799 December 3, Third Annual Message
- 1799, The Kentucky Resolutions
1800
- WWW-VL: History: US National Period
- 1800 February 3, Captain Thomas Truxton, USN, in the USS Constellation versus L'Vengeance [.pdf file]
-
1800 November 22, Fourth Annual Message
- See Avalon's extensive collection of the papers of Thomas Jefferson
- 1801 Thomas Jefferson's First Inaugural Address
- 1801 December 8, First Annual Message of Thomas Jefferson
- 1802 December 15, Second Annual Message
- 1803 October 17, Third Annual Message
- 1803 U.S. Supreme Court, Marbury v Madison
- 1803-1806, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, The Journals of Lewis and Clark
- 1803, Letter from President Thomas Jefferson to Meriweather Lewis
- 1803, The Louisiana Purchase Treaty
- 1804 February 17, Stephen Decatur Reporting the Destruction of the USS Philadelphia [.pdf file]
- 1804, Eliphalet Nott, "On the Death of Hamilton"
- 1804 November 8, Fourth Annual Message
- 1805 Second Inaugural Address of Thomas Jefferson
- 1805, Red Jacket, "On the Religion of the White Man and the Red"
- 1805 December 3, Fifth Annual Message
- 1805 The New England Primer
- 1805, Chickasaw Treaties Between the Chickasaw and the United States
- 1806, John Randolph, "On Offensive War with England"
- 1806 December 2, Sixth Annual Message
- 1807 February 10, An Act to Provide for Surveying the Coasts of the United States
- 1807 October 27, Seventh Annual Message
-
1808 November 8, Eighth Annual Message
- 1809 James Madison, First Inaugural
- 1810 Lieutenant-Colonel William Duane's Call for American Military Reform
- 1810, Tecumseh, "To Governor Harrison at Vincennes"
- 1811, Brackenridge, Henry Marie, Journal of a Voyage up the Missouri River
-
1812, Thomas Kimber, The American Class Book,
[Philadelphia: Kimber and Richardson, 1812] - 1812 October 9, Captain James D. Elliot to the Secretary of the Navy, On a Naval Action on Lake Erie
- 1812-1813, John C. Luttig, Journal of a fur-trading expedition on the Upper Missouri
- 1813, John Jenkins, The Art of Writing, Reduced to a Plain and Easy System
- 1813, James Madison, Second Inaugural Address
- 1813 September 10, Lieutenant Inglis, Royal Navy, on the Battle of Lake Erie
- 1813 September 12, Captain Barclay, Royal Navy, on the Battle of Lake Erie
- 1813 September 12, Commodore Perry on the Battle of Lake Erie
- 1813 November 24, Adjutant General Baynes on the Battle of Lake Erie
- 1814 September 20, Francis Scott Keyes, Star Spangled Banner
- 1814 Amendments to the Constitution Proposed by the Hartford Convention
- 1814, Treaty with Great Britain (End of War of 1812)
-
1815 April 3 and July 2, Treaty of Peace, Signed by Algiers
- 1817 James Monroe, First Inaugural
- 1817 Opening of New York to Liverpool Packet Line
- 1817, Charles Bagot to Richard Rush, Anglo-American agreement to reduce naval forces operating on the Great Lakes
- 1817, Thomas Jefferson, notes on the State of Virginia
- 1818 May 3, Adjutant-General Butler on the Battle of the Appalachiola River [.pdf file]
- 1818 Constitution of the State of Connecticut
- 1819, Treaty with Spain (Acquisition of Florida)
- 1819 Constitution of the State of Connecticut
- 1819, U. S. Supreme Court, McCulloch v The State of Maryland
- 1819, U.S. Supreme Court, Dartmouth College v Woodward
- 1820, Robert Young Hayne, "On the Foote Resolution " 1821- James Monroe, Second Inaugural
- 1821, Cohen v. Virginia
- 1823, Dr. Richard Furman, Exposition on Slavery, reflecting the Views of Baptists
-
1823, The Monroe Doctrine, December 2