Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

The Rosenbach's collection of Abraham Lincoln manuscripts consists of approximately seventy-five objects spanning from his legal years in Springfield to the week before his assassination. Among the political highlights of the collection are writings on the formation of the Republican Party, excerpts from the House Divided speech and a speech against slavery, writings on the use of black soldiers, and the handwritten copy of the Baltimore Address sold at the Philadelphia Sanitary Fair. Other content includes family history, legal documents, recommendations for appointments and paroles, military commissions, and correspondence with Grant, Johnson, Seward, and others.

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Robert Morris (1734-1806)

The Rosenbach's collection of Robert Morris manuscripts consists of approximately forty five objects, almost entirely correspondence by and to Morris regarding business matters. Morris was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the financier of the Revolution, but lost his fortune in the 1790s, eventually landing in debtors prison. The Rosenbach's collection includes both letters from the Revolutionary period and significant correspondence surrounding his financial decline, including a letter written to his business partner the night before he went to prison, and several letters written from prison.

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George Washington (1732-1799)

The Rosenbach's collection of George Washington manuscripts consists of approximately one hundred objects ranging from his earliest extant letter – written when he was seventeen years old – to manuscript maps of his properties to one of his surveying books. The correspondence is in his hand and in the hands of several of his secretaries, as well as by those who sent letters to him. The content varies from personal to political, and offers glimpses into his family and friendships, his conduct of the war and the presidency, and even includes a rare view of him in a period of self-doubt.

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