George Washington: A Resource Guide

[Bust sculpture of George Washington, right profile] 1 photographic print, 1932. From the George Washington Bicentennial Commission. Prints and Photographs Division. Reproduction Number: LC-USZ62-97688 (b&w film copy neg.)

American Memory Historical Collections

The 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. Document types in the collection as a whole include correspondence, letterbooks, commonplace books, diaries, journals, financial account books, military records, reports, and notes accumulated by Washington from 1741 through 1799.

This collection includes a timeline of Washington's life, a collection of essays about the papers, as well as a presentation on Washington as a surveyor and mapmaker. Also presented is an introduction to The Diaries of George Washington.

A selection of highlights from this collection include:

• Colonel Washington's July 18, 1755 letter to Robert Dinwiddie describing the recent defeat in the Battle of the Monongahela, including the death of General Edward Braddock.
• General Washington's General Orders for July 9, 1776, ordering that the recently passed Declaration of Independence be read to the troops.
• The letterbook draft of President Washington's Farewell Address.

Search by keywords or browse by series and dates to find additional documents in Washington's papers.

The Related Resources section of this collection contains a selected bibliography and links to related Web sites.

Additional American Memory Historical Collections

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 George Washington.

By Popular Demand: Portraits of the Presidents and First Ladies, 1789-Present

This collection presents portraits of U.S. presidents and first ladies, including several of George Washington.

The Capital and the Bay: Narratives of Washington and the Chesapeake Bay Region, ca. 1600-1925

A collection consisting of 139 books on Washington, D.C. and the Chesapeake Bay region, including the Memoir of Lieut. Col. Tench Tilghman, Washington's aide during the Revolutionary War.

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 George Washington's political career as a delegate to the Continental Congress and U.S. president. Search this collection by date and publication to find materials related to Washington.

• The Journals of the Continental Congress documents Washington's service to the Continental Congress.
• The Letters of Delegates to Congress, 1774-1789 includes several hundred letters to, from, or referring to George Washington.
• The Annals of Congress contains congressional debate and presidential messages from Washington's presidency (1789-97).
• The American State Papers contains the legislative and executive documents of Congress during the period 1789 to 1838, covering the time that Washington served as president (1789-97).
• The United States Statutes at Large contains the full text of all the laws enacted and treaties ratified during Washington's presidency.

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. Washington's service in the Continental Congress is represented by broadsides such as this early printing of the United States Constitution as ratified by the Constitutional Convention on Sept. 17, 1787

"I Do Solemnly Swear...": Presidential Inaugurations

This collection contains approximately 400 items relating to presidential inaugurations, including Washington's first inauguration in 1789 and his second inauguration in 1793.

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. The Madison Papers contain more than 48 items to or referring to George Washington. To find these documents, go to the collection’s search page and search on the exact phrase George Washington (do not put quotation marks around the words).

The Thomas Jefferson Papers at the Library of Congress

The complete Thomas Jefferson Papers from the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress consist 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.

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. A search on George Washington's name highlights several documents selected from the Washington Papers collection, including color images of Washington's text of his First Inaugural Address.