American History Documents

Image of an original copy of History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark.  From the Paul Mellon Collection at the Alb...

What was it like for a fugitive slave who was trying to be free? We hear from one individual who lived in the hollow of a poplar tree for seven months...

This digitized letter, from the FBI, is a request for examination of certain artifacts important to the investigation of President Lincoln's assassina...

This is page one of President Lincoln's handwritten second-inaugural address.  Click on the image to expand its view.

This is page two of President Lincoln's handwritten second-inaugural address.  Click on the image to expand its view.

President Lincoln gave the original of his Second Inaugural Address to Major John Hay, one of his secretaries.  Many historians consider the spee...

Questioning by District Attorney Hosea Knowlton: Q. Give me your full name. A Lizzie Andrew Borden. Q. Is it Lizzie or Elizabeth? A Lizzie. Q. You we...

Lt General John L. DeWitt recommended that Japanese-Americans be excluded from their homes in areas where their presence could be problematic during W...

Lt. Jack Robinson was court-martialed on two charges during August of 1944.  After he was found "not guilty," on both, he asked to be relieved of...

Ever since Lusitania sank following a U-Boat strike, people have debated whether the great ship was carrying war materiel during her last voyage.

The following summarizes conversations between diplomats during the immediate time before Pearl Harbor was bombed. SUMMARY OF THE HULL-NOMURA CONVE...

Why does the Orbiter perform strange maneuvers and banks to slow it down before landing? Other than its rocket-propulsion system, which the Shuttle...