| | 2 | Author: | Freeman, Tom | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Adviser advised by Tom Freeman, pseud.
| | | | Dates: | n.d. | | | | Abstract: | This single page is a manuscript essay in Benjamin Franklin's hand that attacks prominent proprietary figures in Pennsylvania's government, especially James Logan. The document is in a standalone volume, but it was originally part of Benjamin Franklin's papers. Not much is known about it. It may have been an essay submitted to him for publication in the Pennsylvania Gazette or, as scholars of Franklin have suspected, it could be an early, unpublished essay of Franklin's.
View finding aid for a full description
| | | | Call #: | Mss.172.2.F87 | | | | Extent: | 1 item(s) | | | | Topics: | Colonial Politics | Pennsylvania History | | | | Genre: | Manuscript Essays | |
| 4 | Author: | Keith, William, 1680-1749 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Letter. . . To Mr. James Logan. . . On occasion of Mr. Logan's having sent to Sir William a copy of his printed paper called the Antidote
| | | | Dates: | 1725 | | | | Abstract: | This bound volume contains a long letter – more like an essay – from Sir William Keith, the governor of Pennsylvania, to James Logan, the secretary for the proprietors. The letter discusses Logan's recent pamphlet, "The Antidote." The letter was printed by Andrew Bradford in Philadelphia, and this handwritten copy was likely made of this printed pamphlet.
View finding aid for a full description
| | | | Call #: | Mss.974.8.K26 | | | | Extent: | 1 volume(s) | | | | Topics: | Colonial Politics | Pennsylvania History | | | | Genre: | Manuscript Essays | |
| 5 | Author: | unknown | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Documents relating to the Wyoming Controversy, 1751-1814, 1823
| | | | Dates: | 1751-1823 | | | | Abstract: | This volume relates to the controversy between Pennsylvania and Connecticut over control of the northern third of what is today Pennsylvania. While much of this documentation is available in printed sources – namely the Pennsylvania Archives and the Papers of the Susquehanna Company – these are originals of these documents. Some of the documents in the APS collection do not appear to be part of these printed collections, notably a series of legal documents and pronouncements that contain marginalia that may be of interest to historians. The documents span the entire period of the controversy, with the first documents dated from the 1750s and the last ones from the early nineteenth century. Many are manuscript copies of originals.
View finding aid for a full description
| | | | Call #: | Mss.974.83.D65 | | | | Extent: | 1 volume(s) | | | | Topics: | Colonial Politics | Pennsylvania History | | | | Genre: | Legal Records | Official Government Documents and Records | | | | Subjects: | Land settlement -- Pennsylvania. | |
| 8 | Author: | Fisher, Joshua Francis, 1807-1873 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Catalogue of political tracts relating to the history of the colony of Pennsylvania from 1681 to 1770, 1838
| | | | Dates: | 1838 | | | | Abstract: | This volume contains a series of manuscript essays compiled by Joshua Francis Fisher and presented to the APS in the early 19th Century. It is part of the APS collection of documents relationg to colonial Pennsylvania politics and governance. The first part of the volume has a bibliography made in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century that lists all of the printed pamphlets and other similar documents printed about Pennsylvania from 1681 to 1770. The remaining documents appear to involve the political career and rivalries of William Keith and Andrew Hamilton. The first is an essay "The Life and Character of a strange 'He Monster," that is purportedly written by William Keith about Andrew Hamilton. The second and third pamphlets "A Modest Apology" and "A Petition … against the Quakers" were written during Hamilton's life and involve political controversies he was involved in surrounding defensive measures. The final document is an obituary for Andrew Hamilton.
View finding aid for a full description
| | | | Call #: | Mss.016.9748.C28 | | | | Extent: | 1 volume(s) | | | | Topics: | Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | Pennsylvania History | | | | Genre: | Manuscript Essays | Miscellaneous | Official Government Documents and Records | | | | Subjects: | Society of Friends. | |
| 9 | Author: | unknown | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | H. I. Z., Advice and instruction to the Palatines newly arrived in the Province of Pennsylvania
| | | | Dates: | 1727 | | | | Abstract: | This short piece offers a satirical take on some Philadelphians. Framed as a list of advice for new German immigrants, the piece has a more political tone in which it offers a critical appraisal of some prominent members of society and business. These two pages are in Benjamin Franklin's hand. Once thought to a work of Franklin's, since 1963, it has been believed that Franklin was not the original author of this piece.
View finding aid for a full description
| | | | Call #: | Mss.171.6.Z1 | | | | Extent: | 1 item(s) | | | | Topics: | Colonial Politics | Pennsylvania History | Philadelphia History | | | | Genre: | Manuscript Essays | |
| 10 | Author: | Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | To the freeholders and freemen
| | | | Dates: | 1727 | | | | Abstract: | This essay, written in 1727, advocates free and open election in Philadelphia. It criticizes the recent practice of governor's appointing assessors and other officers. Instead, it argues that more power should reside in the legislature of the colony. This document is in Benjamin Franklin's hand, although it is likely that Franklin transcribed a printed pamphlet published by Andrew Bradford.
View finding aid for a full description
| | | | Call #: | Mss.324.F85 | | | | Extent: | 1 item(s) | | | | Topics: | Colonial Politics | Pennsylvania History | Philadelphia History | | | | Genre: | Manuscript Essays | |
| 13 | Author: | Great Britain. Board of Trade | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Papers on the West Indies, 1707-1709
| | | | Dates: | 1707-1709 | | | | Abstract: | This Collection is a series of letters written during Queen Anne's War/The War of Spanish Succession between 1707 and 1709 involving military, political, and trade issues in the British Caribbean. Documents include a petition from merchants in Barbados to the Crown, orders from imperial ministers in Whitehall to governors, and reports from governors in the Caribbean. The documents often relate to events surrounding the war then engulfing Europe. One of the documents, for instance, is a finding of the Board of Trade that rejects a petition that would allow merchants to ship flour from North American colonies to Portugal, a member of the "Grand Alliance," finding that such trade would hurt the "Sugar Islands" too much.
View finding aid for a full description
| | | | Call #: | Mss.972.9.G81 | | | | Extent: | 0.25 Linear Feet | | | | Topics: | Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | International Affairs | Military History | | | | Genre: | Official Government Documents and Records | Political Correspondence | |
| 14 | Author: | Unidentified | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Extract of a letter from London, May 19, 1770
| | | | Dates: | 1770 | | | | Abstract: | This rich letter dated May 19, 1770 contains a detailed report on the state of affairs in London. The author, writing to friends in the colonies, relays the political machinations inside of Parliament and out of doors. The author focuses on the debates surrounding the crisis developing between Parliament and their North American colonies. The author discusses the content of some speeches, the alignment of factions in Parliament, and the opinion of merchants and manufacturers relating to laws and imperial policies. The letter is an "Extract" and was likely copied from a longer letter. This manuscript copy was probably forwarded to interested parties throughout the colonies to disseminate news. The letter is bound. The last page contains the signature of Robert Smith, although it is not clear if this is the author of the letter, the owner of the letter, or simply an autograph.
View finding aid for a full description
| | | | Call #: | Mss.973.3.Ex7 | | | | Extent: | 1 item(s) | | | | Topics: | American Revolution | Americans Abroad | Colonial Politics | International Affairs | | | | Genre: | Political Correspondence | | | | Subjects: | Stamp Act, 1765 | Taxation. | |
| 16 | Author: | Unidentified | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Criticism of Franklin's historical review of the constitution and government of Pennsylvania
| | | | Dates: | Circa 1760 | | | | Abstract: | This manuscript offers a critique of A Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania (1759). A Historical review was anonymously published, but it has been credited to either Benjamin Franklin or Richard Jackson. Written in the wake of the politically divisive 1750s, the pamphlet attacked the proprietors of Pennsylvania and the proprietary nature of the colonial government and defended the actions of the Assembly and Quaker Party during the Seven Years' War. The manuscript in the APS's vault was written in 1759 or 1760, likely in London. It defends the proprietor and the government in general. Largely unknown to historians, this manuscript provides insight into the deep political divisions within colonial Pennsylvania by offering a clear view into the beliefs of the proprietors and the proprietary party. The anonymous author of the work is almost certainly Thomas Penn. The manuscript was never published.
View finding aid for a full description
| | | | Call #: | Mss.974.8.C86 | | | | Extent: | 1 volume(s) | | | | Topics: | Colonial Politics | Pennsylvania History | Seven Years' War | | | | Genre: | Manuscript Essays | |
| 17 | Author: | unknown | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Documents, 1728-1816, relating to the province of Pennsylvania and to the American Revolution
| | | | Dates: | 1728-1819 | | | | Abstract: | This volume contains documents that relate to the government of Pennsylvania. Although the volume is described in MOLE as pertaining to the American Revolution in Pennsylvania, the volume begins with a proclamation from 1728 and contains a range of proclamations from the Seven Years' War, before ending with a series of proclamations from the 1770s and 1780s. Although there are some lists and petitionsand orders in the volume, almost all of the documents are official government proclamations, often from the governor. The revolutionary era documents are a bit more diverse. In addition to official government documents, such as militia instructions, the volume contains manuscript copies of letters and essays intended for print, as well as private correspondence and messages from other colonies.
View finding aid for a full description
| | | | Call #: | Mss.974.8.D65 | | | | Extent: | 1 volume,_50_p. | | | | Topics: | American Revolution | Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | Pennsylvania History | | | | Genre: | Official Government Documents and Records | |
| 18 | Author: | Logan, James, 1674-1751 | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | James Logan letters, 1736-1744
| | | | Dates: | 1736-1744 | | | | Abstract: | This slender volume contains the letters of James Logan to the proprietors during his tenure as President of the Council, a period from 1746-1744. After Patrick Gordon died in 1736, Logan assumed the powers of the lieutenant governor as the President of the Council. The governorship was assumed in 1738 by George Thomas, but Logan continued as President of the Council. These letters touch upon a range of matters then concerning the government of Pennsylvania, including its border dispute with Maryland and tensions with Indian groups in western areas.
View finding aid for a full description
| | | | Call #: | Mss.974.8.L82 | | | | Extent: | 1 volume(s) | | | | Topics: | Colonial Politics | Government Affairs | Pennsylvania History | | | | Genre: | Official Government Documents and Records | Political Correspondence | |
|
