Compiled
by Jurretta Jordan Heckscher, Digital Reference Specialist
. . . let us save what
remains: not by vaults and locks which fence them from the
public eye and use, . . . but by such a multiplication of
copies, as shall place them beyond the reach of accident.
Thomas
Jefferson to Ebenezer Hazard, February 18, 1791
The digital resources described in this guide provide online
access, in varying degrees, to the personal papers and/or
publications of the major founders of the American Republic—that
is, those men who served in roles of national political leadership
between 1765 and 1815—and members of their families.
In some cases, official compilations of government documents
are also included because of the prominence of a particular
founder in the recorded activities of the governing body in
question.
Please note that these links are being provided as a convenience
and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute
an endorsement or an approval by the Library of Congress of
any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation
or organization or individual. The Library of Congress bears
no responsibility for the accuracy, legality, or content of
the external site, or for that of subsequent links. Contact
the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.
Some materials are available by subscription only, and are
so designated. Most such resources can be consulted onsite
at the Library of Congress.
This guide will be updated and expanded as additional resources
become available.
John Adams | Samuel
Adams | Benjamin Franklin | Alexander
Hamilton | John Jay | Thomas
Jefferson | James Madison | John
Marshall | George Mason | James
Otis | Thomas Paine | George
Washington | James Wilson | Founders’
Family Members
John
Adams
- Adams
Family Papers: An Electronic Archive
Images and manuscripts from the major archive of materials
by and to John Adams and his family, at the Massachusetts
Historical Society.
- A
Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United
States of America
Text of the first volume, from the first (1787-88) edition
as reprinted in 1971.
- The
Papers of John Adams at the Avalon Project
Texts of Adams presidential documents, from Yale University
Law School.
- Works of John Adams, Second President
of the United States.
Vol.
1, Vol.
2, Vol.
3, Vol.
4, Vol.
5, Vol.
6, Vol.
7, Vol.
8, Vol.
9, Vol.
10
Ten-volume edition, ed. Charles Francis Adams, 1851-65.
- Works of John Adams, Second President
of the United States.
The same edition, available in full text and facsimile .pdfs.
- The
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
An 1895 edition. Search for other editions using Google
Books’ Advanced
Search feature.
- The
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Text, from the Independence Hall Association.
- The
Papers of Benjamin Franklin
The authoritative texts created by the published Papers
of Benjamin Franklin sponsored by Yale University and
the American Philosophical Society.
- Poor
Richard’s Almanac
Facsimile page images of the 1758 edition, from the Library
of Congress.
- The Writings of Benjamin Franklin
Vol.
1, Vol.
2, Vol.
3, Vol.
4, Vol.
5, Vol.
6, Vol.
7, Vol.
8, Vol.
9, Vol.
10
Ten-volume edition, ed. Albert Henry Smyth, 1905-7.
- The
Federalist
An 1898 edition. Search for other editions using Google
Books’ Advanced
Search feature.
- The
Federalist
Text of The Federalist, from the Digital Collections
of the University of Virginia Library.
- The
Papers of John Jay
An online archive from Columbia University, available as
facsimile page images and document summaries.
- Declaration
of Independence: “Original Rough Draught”
Page images, from the Library of Congress.
- Declaration
of Independence: Final Version
Page image with link to text, from the National Archives
and Records Administration.
- The
Jefferson Digital Archive
Texts of a large number of Jefferson documents, from the
Digital Collections of the University of Virginia Library.
- A
Manual of Parliamentary Practice
An 1820 edition. Search for other editions using Google
Books’ Advanced
Search feature.
- A
Manual of Parliamentary Practice
Text of an 1812 edition.
- Notes
on the State of Virginia
An 1832 edition, from the Library of Congress.
- The
Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Selected Primary Documents with
Annotation
A selection of authoritative annotated texts, with some
page images, from the published Papers
of Thomas Jefferson sponsored by Princeton University.
- The
Papers of Thomas Jefferson at the Avalon Project
Texts of numerous public and some private papers, from
Yale University Law School.
- A
Summary View of the Rights of British America
Facsimile page images, from the Library of Congress.
- The
Thomas Jefferson Papers at the Library of Congress, 1606-1827
Facsimile page images and some transcriptions from the nation’s
largest archive of Jefferson papers.
- The Thomas
Jefferson Papers: An Electronic Archive
Page images and searchable text from the extensive archive
of Jefferson’s papers at the Massachusetts Historical
Society.
- Virginia
Statute for Religious Freedom
Page images and text of the final version, from the
Library of Virginia.
- The
Works of Thomas Jefferson
The twelve-volume “Federal Edition,” ed. Paul
Leicester Ford, 1904-5, available in full text and facsimile
.pdfs.
- The
Writings of Thomas Jefferson
The twenty-volume “Memorial Edition,”
ed. Andrew Adgate Lipscomb and Albert E. Bergh, 1903-4,
available in full text.
- A
Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional
Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
Search
on Madison in the sections
of this collection related to the Continental Congress,
the Constitutional Convention, and the House of Representatives
in the First through Fourth Congresses (1789-97) in order
to find page images and full text documenting Madison’s
speeches, letters, and notes.
- The
Federalist
An 1898 edition. Search for other editions using Google
Books’ Advanced
Search feature.
- The
Federalist
Text of The Federalist,
from the Digital Collections of the University of Virginia
Library.
- The
James Madison Papers at the Library of Congress, 1723-1836
Facsimile page images and some transcriptions from the
major archive of Madison papers.
- The
Pacificus-Helvidius Debates of 1793-94
A 2007 compilation, available in full text and facsimile
.pdfs.
- The
Papers of James Madison: Madison Documents
A brief selection of facsimile page images in manuscript
or published form, from the authoritative published Papers
of James Madison sponsored by the University of Virginia.
- The
Papers of James Madison at the Avalon Project
Texts of several major documents, from Yale University Law
School.
- Selected
Works of James Madison
Texts of selected letters, speeches, newspaper pieces, and
other writings.
- The
Writings of James Madison
Nine volumes, ed. Gaillard Hunt, 1900-10, available in full
text and facsimile .pdfs.
Papers of family members archived with those of a founder
are included in the online compilations noted in the other
sections of this guide. The materials listed below are separate
online compendia organized around the papers of a founder’s
family member or members rather than—or, in the case
of the Adamses, in addition to—those of the founder
himself.
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