American State Papers
The American State Papers contain the legislative and executive documents of Congress during the period 1789 to 1838.
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The American State Papers, comprising a total of 38 physical volumes, contain the legislative and executive documents of Congress during the period 1789 to 1838. The collection includes documents that cover the critical historical gap from 1789 to the printing of the first volume of the U.S. Serial Set in 1817. The books are arranged into ten topical classes or series:
I. Foreign Relations
II. Indian Affairs
III. Finances
IV. Commerce and Navigation
V. Military Affairs
VI. Naval Affairs
VII. Post Office Department
VIII. Public Lands
IX. Claims
X. Miscellaneous
The compilation, printing, and distribution of the Papers took place from 1831 to 1861 and the 38 volumes contain 6,278 documents. Not all of the classes contain documents from the entire 1789-1838 period. Every volume contains an index and all but one has a table of contents, both with machine-searchable transcriptions.
The Introductory Notice in the first printed volume of the American State Papers cites legislation on its development. Further legislation concerning this title may be found in other documents in A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation. Some examples include:
H.R. 639, 35th Cong., 1st Sess. (1858)
H.R. 436, 22nd Cong., 1st Sess. (1832)
Register of Debates, 22nd Cong., 1st sess., 41
Act of March 2, 1831, ch. 65, 4 Stat. 471
Act of March 3, 1837, ch. 33, 5 Stat. 174