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Collection Overview

A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1873, contains records and acts of Congress from the Continental Congress through the Forty-second Congress. The records of the Continental Congress, the Constitutional Convention, and the United States Congress comprise a rich documentary history of the construction of the nation, the development of the federal government, and its role in the national life.

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Special Features

These online exhibits provide context and additional information about this collection.

• Impeachment Trial of President Andrew Johnson
• The Making of the U.S. Constitution
• Timeline: American History as Seen in Congressional Documents, 1774-1873
• The Revolutionary Diplomatic Correspondence of the United States
• Indian Land Cessions in the United States, 1784 to 1894
• The Louisiana Purchase: Legislative Timeline - 1802 to 1807
• Journal of the Congress of the Confederate States of America, 1861-1865
• Presidential Elections and the Electoral College, 1877

Historical Eras

These historical era(s) are best represented in the collection although they may not be all-encompassing.

• The American Revolution, 1763-1783
• The New Nation, 1780-1815
• Expansion and Reform, 1801-1861

Related Collections and Exhibits

These collections and exhibits contain thematically-related primary and secondary sources. Also browse the Collection Finder for more related material on the American Memory Web site.

• Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789
• Declaring Independence: Drafting the Documents
• James Madison Papers
• George Washington Papers, 1741-1799
• Map Collections, 1500-2004
• Memory Section of American Treasures of the Library of Congress
• Religion and the Founding of the American Republic
• Temple of Liberty: Building the Capitol for a New Nation
• Thomas Jefferson Papers, 1606-1827

Other Resources

Recommended additional sources of information.

• Manuscripts: Congress
• Manuscripts: Founding of a Nation
• THOMAS

Search Tips

Specific guidance for searching this collection

You may search all law titles. The three congressional Journals and the Journal of William Maclay are available as searchable texts. The Annals of Congress has searchable page headings (subject headings) and indexes. For a complete description of how to search A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation, 1774-1873, see Using the Collection.

For help with search strategies, see Finding Items in American Memory.

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Last Updated: 06/12/2009