American History Documents

America - still a young country by world standards - began as an experiment in self-government. This collection includes stories of America's people as they follow a path of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

On October 25, 1962, Adlai Stevenson confronts Soviet Ambassador Zorin in the United Nations. The US, says Stevenson, is prepared to "wait until hell ...

Image of the of the song sheet for A Drunkard's Child, song and lyrics, fourth page. Click on the image to expand its view.  It should be large-...

This document, written in Russian, is the Agreement by which the United States purchased Alaska from Russia.  To some individuals, this purchase ...

The evidence describing President Lincoln's last 24 hours is not always consistent.  What really happened that day, leading up to Lincoln's fatal...

Image of a Harper's Weekly article published on February 9, 1861 called Now ready - American slavery Justified, by Reverend Samuel Seabury, ...

Image of a copy of Thomas Jefferson's Declartion of Rights, approved by the Continental Congress and published in Colonial newspapers on October 14, 1...

This image depicts the original document freeing the Amistad captives.  The opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court was written by Justice Story.

ANATOMY OF A CONTROVERSY:Anatoly F. Dobrynin’s Meeting With Robert F. Kennedy, Saturday, 27 October 1962 by Jim Hershberg - Article online at ...

Ann Maria Jackson, and her seven children, escaped slavery and made it to Canada.  William Still includes their story in his book, The Undergroun...

Image of a drawing depicting the destruction of a printing press, from the Anti-Slavery Almanac, 1839.

Antony and Cleopatra by William Haines Lytle (1826–1863)I am dying, Egypt, dying.      Ebbs the crimson life-tide fast, An...

This document depicts, in part, President Woodrow Wilson's Declaration of War against Germany, launching America's involvement in World War One. ...

Show tooltips