Two bound documents, "A chronological series of facts relative to Louisiana" and "An examination into the boundaries of Louisiana." Prepared by Jefferson for U.S. ministers at Paris and Madrid, as a means of determining the extent of the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson sent these to the APS with a cover letter to Peter S. Du Ponceau, dated December 30, 1817; read in the Historical and Literary Committee, 1818. Printed in Thomas Jefferson, Documents Relating to the Purchase and Exploration of Louisiana (New York, 1904).
Thomas Jefferson was president of the United States, 1801-1809, and of the American Philosophical Society, 1797-1815.
Provenance
Presented by Thomas Jefferson and accessioned, 1817 (1817 15420).
General physical description
2 bound documents in 1 volume, 24 p.
General note
Microfilm 199, 70 and 71.
Early American History Note
This bound volume contains two discreet documents written by Thomas Jefferson (which have been subsequently printed in various sources). The first is a letter from Thomas Jefferson to Peter Du Ponceau dated Monticello, December 30, 1817. In it, Jefferson discusses his acquisition of Louisiana, his Indian vocabularies, and Meriwether Lewis’ contributions to it.
The second document is an essay on Louisiana, its boundaries, and its history. It opens with a chronology that begins in 1673, discusses its limits, and then provides a detailed account of the wars European nations fought over it.
Genre(s)
- General Correspondence
- Manuscript Essays
Subject(s)
- Colony and State Specific History
- Diplomatic History
- Exploration.
- Language and Linguistics
- Louisiana Purchase -- Discovery and exploration.
- Military History