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Government Document Resources Online: Historical Affairs

Chronology of U.S. Historical Documents - from precolonial to the present from the Yale Law School.
CyberCemetery - an archive of government websites that have ceased operation from 1995 to present.


History of the Vice Presidency - background and history on each of the vice presidents.

Library of Congress

  • Abraham Lincoln Historical Papers - 20,000 documents including correspondence, drafts of speeches, notes and printed material from the 1850s - 1860-65.
  • American Memory - includes over 90 historical digital collections.
  • Annals of Congress - transcripts of the debates in Congress from 1789-1824.
  • Century of Lawmaking -  records of the Continental Congress, the Constitutional Convention. A rich documentary history of the construction of the nation from 1774-1875, the development of the federal government, and its role in the national life.
  • Federalists Papers - a series of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison between October 1787 and May 1788.
  • George Washington Historical Papers - approximately 65,000 documents, including correspondence, letterbooks, diaries, journals, military records and reports accumulated by Washington from 1741 through 1799.
  • Gettysburg Address - includes drafts, transcriptions in 29 other languages, only photo of Lincoln at Gettysburg and the invitation.
  • Historical Documents– Primary Documents of the United States - Offers digitized Early Congressional Documents, including  the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and Other Amendments.
  • Jefferson's Library - Explore Jefferson through his papers, letters, and book collections.  Each section is replete with broad explanations and original documents.
  • Register of Debates - record of the congressional debates of the 18th Congress, 2nd Session through the 25th Congress, 1st Session (1824-37).

National Archives and Records Administration - find speeches, historic photographs, documents, films, covering such topics as the Great Depression, World War II, Holocaust, JFK Assassination, Nazi war criminals, Watergate and much more. 
Research our Nation's History by Topic

Founding documents for the United States of America including the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and the Bill of Rights

Smithsonian Institution - search all Smithsonian web sites, including the Museum of American History, American Art, the Air and Space Museum and much more.

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