Historical Research Library

Discover the people, events, and key documents that shaped the Founding Era.

Singers and dancers focused on Chris Jackson playing George Washington

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Free African Society historical marker in Philadelphia

Preamble of the Free African Society, 1787

The goals of a mutual aid society founded by and for African Americans in Philadelphia

Supporting Document

Benjamin Franklin (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)

Poor Richard’s Almanac

Benjamin Franklin’s annual publication offering wisdom, proverbs, and practical advice

Supporting Document

The City and Port of Philadelphia, by William Russell Birch (New York Public Library Digital Collections)

Benjamin Franklin on Founding Schools in Philadelphia, 1750

A proposal for practical, secular education

Supporting Document

George III, Proclamation of 1763. (Gilder Lehrman Collection)

George III’s Proclamation of 1763

Proclamation restricting colonial westward expansion to prevent conflict and control land speculation

Supporting Document

The Stamp Act, published in London, 1765 (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)

The Stamp Act, 1765

A tax on printed materials imposed by Britain on American colonies—sparking widespread protest and contributing to revolutionary sentiments

Key Document

A View of the Town of Boston in New England and British Ships of War Landing Their Troops, 1768. (Library of Congress)

Instructions to Boston’s Representatives, 1768

Appeal to Boston’s representatives in the General Court of Massachusetts to investigate British actions

Supporting Document

Detail from Paul Revere, “The Bloody Massacre in King-Street, March 5, 1770,” Boston, 1770. (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)

Paul Revere’s “The Bloody Massacre,” 1770

An effective piece of propaganda that turned a skirmish into a massacre

Supporting Document

The Case of Capt. Thomas Preston of the 29th Regiment, 1770

The British military officer’s defense against charges of murder stemming from the Boston Massacre

Supporting Document

Paul Revere, "The Bloody Massacre in King-Street, March 5, 1770," Boston, 1770 (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)

Boston Massacre, 1770

A “massacre” of civilians in Boston by British troops fueled colonial resentment of British rule

Event

Paul Revere, "Four coffins of men killed in the Boston Massacre" (Library of Congress)

Deposition of Theodore Bliss, 1770

Eyewitness testimony shedding light on the Boston Massacre

Supporting Document

“To the Right Honourable William, Earl of Dartmouth” by Phillis Wheatley, in Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, London, 1773. (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)

Phillis Wheatley’s Poem on Tyranny and Slavery, 1772

An eloquent condemnation of oppression and slavery, written for the British secretary of state for the colonies, showcasing Wheatley’s literary talent, and advocacy for freedom

Supporting Document

Samuel Adams on the Gaspee Incident, 1772

Newspaper article, secretly written by Adams, arguing for the right to local juries for colonists who burned a British ship

Supporting Document

Historical Research Library

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Document Type

Themes

Preamble of the Free African Society, 1787

Poor Richard’s Almanac

Benjamin Franklin on Founding Schools in Philadelphia, 1750

George III’s Proclamation of 1763

The Stamp Act, 1765

Instructions to Boston’s Representatives, 1768

Paul Revere’s “The Bloody Massacre,” 1770

The Case of Capt. Thomas Preston of the 29th Regiment, 1770

Boston Massacre, 1770

Deposition of Theodore Bliss, 1770

Phillis Wheatley’s Poem on Tyranny and Slavery, 1772

Samuel Adams on the Gaspee Incident, 1772