Topic: Daily Life
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Codicil to Will
In this amendment to his will, Jefferson freed 5 of his 162 slaves. Two of the five were Madison and Eston Hemings, his sons by his enslaved mistress, Sally Hemings,...
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Confidential Letter to Congress
In this letter to Congress, President Jefferson explained his plan to use trade as a weapon in his effort to put more white farmers on Indian land. Jefferson wanted to...
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Declaration of Sentiments
This document is the Declaration of Sentiments issued by the participants in the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. At this gathering in upstate New York, 342 women and men wrote...
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Design for a Library Bookcase
This image is a design for a bookcase by the well-known English furniture designer, Thomas Chippendale. In the mid-18th century, many of the wealthiest people in Britain and the colonies...
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Designs for Chippendale Chairs
This image is a design for chairs by the well-known English furniture designer, Thomas Chippendale. In the mid-18th century, many of the wealthiest people in Britain and the colonies purchased...
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George Washington’s Diary
This is an entry from George Washington’s diary. He wrote it immediately after the Constitutional Convention ended in September 1787. Washington indicates that he was amazed at how hard the...
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Henry Darnall III
The main subject of this 1710 painting is eight-year-old Henry Darnall III, son of a Maryland planter family. Like other colonial portraits, this one included props that signified the wealth...
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Jefferson to Madame de Corny
In this letter to his friend Madame de Corny, Thomas Jefferson conceded that London was a great place to shop. Jefferson, who held a diplomatic post in Paris in the...
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Jefferson to Martha Jefferson
Jefferson wrote this letter to establish his daughter’s study schedule during her stay in Philadelphia. Eleven-year-old Patsy Jefferson learned French, music, drawing, and dancing from tutors. She practiced reading and...
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