1812 – 1861
Antebellum Era
Letters from pre-Civil War America, documenting westward expansion, slavery debates, and sectional tensions.
2 letters from this era
Antebellum Era
Political
Letter on the Indian Removal Act
Cherokee Chief John Ross → United States Senate
We are overwhelmed! Our hearts are sickened, our utterance is paralized, when we reflect on the condition in which we are placed.
September 28, 1836 • Cherokee Nation
Antebellum Era
Political
Letter to His Former Master
Frederick Douglass → Thomas Auld
I am your fellow man, but not your slave.
September 3, 1848 • Rochester, New York