American Memory Historical Collections
The
James Madison Papers, 1723-1836
The James Madison Papers from the Manuscript Division at
the Library of Congress consist of approximately 12,000
items captured in some 72,000 digital images. They document
the life of the man who came to be known as the "Father
of the Constitution" through correspondence, personal
notes, drafts of letters and legislation, an autobiography,
legal and financial documents, and miscellaneous manuscripts.
The online collection includes a timeline
of Madison's life and an essay on his life
and papers by John C. A. Stagg. Also provided are essays
on Madison's role in the Constitutional
Convention and his use of ciphers.
A selection of highlights from this collection include:
Search
by keywords or browse by title,
name,
or series
to find additional documents in Madison's papers.
The
Related Resources section of this collection contains
a selected bibliography and links to related Web sites.
An
American Time Capsule: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other
Printed Ephemera
The Printed Ephemera collection comprises 28,000 primary-source
items dating from the seventeenth century to the present
and encompasses key events and eras in American history.
Search
the bibliographic records and the full text option to find
items related to James Madison, including a copy of his
First
Annual Message to Congress dated November 29, 1809,
and a proclamation announcing that the United States had
declared
war on Great Britain.
By
Popular Demand: Portraits of the Presidents and First Ladies,
1789-Present
This collection presents portraits of U.S. presidents and
first ladies, including James
Madison and Dolley
Madison.
A
Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional
Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
This collection contains a large selection of congressional
material related to James Madison's political career as
a delegate to the Continental Congress, delegate to the
Constitutional Convention, member of the House of Representatives,
secretary of state, and U.S. president. Search
this collection by date and publication to find materials
related to Madison.
- The Journals
of the Continental Congress documents Madison's service
as a delegate to the Continental Congress during the years
1780-83 and 1787-88.
- The Letters
of Delegates to Congress, 1774-1789 includes approximately
1,000 letters to, from, or referring to James Madison.
- Farrand's
Records contains the documentary records of
the Constitutional Convention. The notes taken at that
time by James Madison, and later revised by him, form
the largest single block of material other than the official
proceedings.
- The Annals
of Congress contains congressional debate and presidential
messages from Madison's service in the House of Representatives
(1789-97) and his presidency (1809-17), including his
speech introducing proposed
amendments to the Constitution on June 8, 1789, and
his message to Congress asking for a declaration of war
against Great
Britain on June 1, 1812.
- The American
State Papers contains the legislative and executive
documents of Congress during the period 1789 to 1838,
covering the time period that Madison served as secretary
of state (1801-09) as well as his presidency.
- The United
States Statutes at Large contains the full text of
all the laws enacted and treaties ratified during Madison's
presidency, including the declaration
of war against Great Britain dated June 18, 1812,
and the Treaty
of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812.
Documents
from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention,
1774-1789
This collection contains documents relating to the work
of the Continental Congress and the drafting and ratification
of the Constitution. Search
the full text to find references to James Madison and
the Constitution.
The
First American West: The Ohio River Valley, 1750-1820
Drawn from the holdings of the University of Chicago Library
and the Filson Historical Society, this collection consists
of original historical material documenting the land, peoples,
exploration, and transformation of the trans-Appalachian
West from the mid-eighteenth to the early nineteenth century.
Search
this collection to find a portrait
of Madison and two letters he wrote to George
Nicholas concerning the Constitution.
George
Washington Papers at the Library of Congress, 1741-1799
The complete George Washington Papers collection from the
Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress consists
of approximately 65,000 documents. This is the largest collection
of original Washington documents in the world. The Washington
Papers contain approximately 140 items to, from, or referring
to James Madison. To find these documents, go to the collection’s
search
page, change the number of possible hits to 200, and
search on the exact phrase James Madison (do not put quotation
marks around the words).
Among the collection’s Madison-related materials
are:
- A letter from Washington to Madison on November
5, 1786, expressing alarm about the state of the government
during the time of Shays' Rebellion.
- A letter from Madison to Washington on April
16, 1787, outlining his proposals for the upcoming
Constitutional Convention.
- A letter from Madison to Washington on September
30, 1787, written shortly after the conclusion of
the Constitutional Convention.
"I
Do Solemnly Swear...": Presidential Inaugurations
This collection contains approximately 400 items relating
to presidential inaugurations, including Madison's first
inauguration in 1809 and his second
inauguration in 1813.
Thomas
Jefferson Papers at the Library of Congress
The complete Thomas Jefferson Papers from the Manuscript
Division at the Library of Congress consists of approximately
27,000 documents. This is the largest collection of original
Jefferson documents in the world. Document types in the
collection as a whole include correspondence, commonplace
books, financial account books, and manuscript volumes.
The Jefferson Papers contain more than 700 items to, from,
or referring to James Madison. To find these documents,
go to the collection’s search
page, change the number of possible hits to 1000, and
search on the exact phrase James Madison (do not put quotation
marks around the words).
Among the collection’s Madison-related materials
are:
- A letter from Jefferson to Madison on December
20, 1787, providing his opinions on the new Constitution,
including his belief that a Bill of Rights is needed.
- A letter from outgoing President Jefferson to incoming
President Madison, on April 27, 1809, offering some expansionist
advice and expressing his vision of America as "an
empire for liberty."
- A letter from Jefferson to Madison on June
29, 1812, discussing the recent declaration of war
against Great Britain.
Words
and Deeds in American History: Selected Documents Celebrating
the Manuscript Division's First 100 Years
In honor of the Manuscript Division's centennial, its staff
has selected for online display approximately ninety representative
documents spanning from the fifteenth century to the mid-twentieth
century. The collection contains three
documents related to James Madison, including a sales
contract between Thomas Jefferson and Madison for an
indentured servant's remaining term.
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