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American History
Archiving Early America |
- At Archiving Early America, you will
find a wealth of resources we hope are informative, instructive and
entertaining.
 - Our main focus is primary source
material from 18th Century America -- all displayed digitally. A
unique array of original newspapers, maps and writings come to life on
your screen just as they appeared to our forebears more than 200 years
ago.
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- As you browse through these original
documents, you will find it easier to understand America's early
residents, those who shaped and created the early Republic. These
archival materials-- forming as they do an historical record of a
significant time in the American experience-- are displayed in their
original formats so they can be read and examined close-up....in
detail.
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- This unique resource is made available
at no charge for personal use only. All of the materials found here
are proprietary and protected under the copyright laws. Their use for
any commercial or for-profit purpose....or their display or
reproduction on any other media or format (such as another Internet
site, distance learning course, an intranet or CD-ROM) is strictly
prohibited and a violation of the copyright laws (see Rules
of Use). However, commercial use of the images at this site or any
of the images in our library is available through license. For
information, please see The
Early American Digital Library.
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- Of special interest is the Maryland
Gazette containing George Washington's Journal of his historic trip to
the Ohio Valley. It is the only original copy privately held. Because
of its historic significance and its rarity (most Americans are
unaware of its existence), the March 21 and 28, 1754 issues of The
Gazette can be viewed here in their entirety-- exactly as Washington
wrote it, down to the last comma, apostrophe and period. It is
available in the Milestone Documents section at this site.
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- The availability to view these
historical documents on-line 24 hours a day, literally at one's
leisure, would have been considered no small miracle a few years ago.
Today, this capability allows us an opportunity to see--- for the
first time in many cases--- the way in which the colonists and early
Americans expressed themselves...and the kinds of media they utilized
in the process.
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- Displaying documents from America's
historical past achieves the following:
1) Provides open access of
historic documents to the greatest number. Private collections by
definition are closed to the public, and can be seen only by family
and close friends. Institutions, for a variety of reasons, all too
often make their historical collections difficult, if not impossible,
to access by the public-at-large.
2) Re-awakens, encourages and
maintains an interest in this country's early history--- the roots of
American society. Original two-century-old newspapers, maps and books
that faithfully chronicle the events of the day track the beginnings
of The Republic as few history books alone are able to do. These
historical documents are an important adjunct to the study of early
America.
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