Proclamation to the citizens of Tennessee issued by Military Governor Andrew Johnson, condemning the rebellion but offering to return civil government to Tennessee and protect its citizens. He states he will appoint citizens loyal to the...
State government; Constitutions; Constitutional conventions; Law & legal affairs; Slavery; Freedmen; Suffrage; Lotteries
This first revision of the Tennessee Constitution addressed a variety of problems present in the original 1796 Constitution. Pages are handwritten on oversize paper and are laminated.
Communication by Andrew Johnson, military governor of Tennessee, stating his support for the adoption of a Constitutional amendment to ban slavery in the United States.
Certificate of election for Andrew Johnson as Representative to the 21st General Assembly of the State of Tennessee, elected August 1835, jointly representing the counties of Greene and Washington. The document is signed by the two county sheriffs...
Correspondence; Mothers; Children; Families; Civil Wars; War
Correspondence from John G. Latta to his mother, Lucinda (Gilchrist). Letter is from her son in Boston and is dated August 17, 1861. He states that his family will leave Boston for Tennessee on September 3. He is very anxious to get home. He...
This constitution is the "Houston Constitution," rejected by Franklin's Second Constitutional Convention of 1785 in Greeneville. Constitutional committee member and major contributor Rev. Samuel Houston had these pamphlets printed to argue the...
23 pages handwritten in ink that comprise the Cherokee Constitution of 1827. This early copy may have been written by Sam Houston. It was found in the 1827 Tennessee legislative papers and may have been given to the State of Tennessee in exchange...
Civil Wars; War; Slaves; Agriculture; Political issues; Cities & towns
Excerpts from the Robert H. Cartmell Diaries. They contain full commentaries on the nature of his farm operation, the weather, and the fluctuations of the cotton market. They contain thoughtful comments on politics and candidates for office and...
Excerpts from the diary of William Luther Bigelow Lawrence. He details joining the Nashville Guards, the scarcity of provisions, and the surrender of Nashville. He proclaims the trampling of private rights by Federal soldiers, the fleeing of his...
This nine-page letter written from Arthur H. Harris in Monroe, Louisiana, to his brother George Carroll Harris in Nashville is a conscious political treatise. The author is advocating and justifiying the secession of Louisiana at the upcoming...
Five-page letter written from John S. Brien in Nashville, Tennessee, to R. M. C[ornin], Esq. in Cincinnati, Ohio. The author expresses his views on secession, the Union, and Southern Rights as well as his hope for compromise. Says Brien, " I...
Excerpts from a diary, 1834-1865, and memoir of early life, written by Jesse Cox (1793-1879), a Primitive Baptist minister and resident of Williamson County, Tennessee. He describes the hardships of life as an itinerant preacher, some religious...
Large broadside giving details concerning the method for convicts in the state prison to use in applying for a pardon. The broadside is signed by Governor John C. Brown.
Satirical essay by anti-prohibitionists listing the "ten commandments" of prohibitionists, claiming all prohibitionists to be "rich," "hypocrites," usurpers," and "misleaders." The essay implies that the writers speak for the "poor" and adhere to...
Certificate of pardon and amnesty for John Overton of Davidson County, Tenn., "for all offences by him committed, arising from participation, direct or implied, in the said [Rebellion]," under conditions issued by President Andrew Johnson. The...
Certificate of pardon and amnesty of George Pattison, Shelby County, Tenn., "for all offences by him committed, arising from participation, direct or implied, in the [Rebellion], under conditions issued by President Andrew Johnson and co-signed by...
