George Washington Papers

Rachel Ann visiting with a Potawatomi Pow Wow guest

The Library of Congress houses the complete George Washington Papers which have about 65,000 documents. One of the largest collections of the original Washington documents in the world. Document types in the collection as a whole include correspondence, letter books, commonplace books and many more. The collection is organized into nine series or groupings.

Commonplace books, correspondence and travel journals document his youth and early adulthood as a Virginia County Surveyor and as a a Colonel of the militia during the French and Indian war. Washington’s election as delegate to the First and Second Continental Congress, his command of the American Army during the Revolutionary War, and his two presidential administrations from 1789 – 1797 are also documented.

Because of the wide range of Washington’s interests, activities and correspondence, his papers are a rich source for almost every aspect of Colonial and early American history.

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