Historical Research Library Discover the people, events, and key documents that shaped the Founding Era.
Knox Announces the Surrender at Yorktown, 1781 A letter anticipating “a glorious moment”—General Cornwallis’s surrender Supporting Document
Nathanael Greene on the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, 1781 Reflection on the mixed results of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse Supporting Document
Alexander Hamilton on Happy Marriages, 1781 Hamilton’s advice to Peggy on marriage—emphasizing happiness and caution in partner selection Supporting Document
Battle of Yorktown, 1781 A decisive victory of American and French forces that led to British surrender and American independence Event
Cuffee Wells’s Certification of Freedom, 1781 A legal statement witnessing the emancipation of a formerly enslaved soldier Supporting Document
Henry Knox on Washington’s Reluctance to Execute a British Soldier, 1782 A letter exploring the politics of retaliation between patriots, loyalists, and the British Supporting Document
John Laurens to Hamilton on His Plan for a Black Regiment, 1782 A letter endorsing Hamilton’s plan for a regiment of freed Black men Supporting Document
Belinda, Petition of an African Slave, 1782 A petition to Massachusetts demanding compensation for years of enslaved labor Supporting Document
Hamilton to Washington “with Reference to a Peace,” 1783 Hamilton seeks counsel on national security and maintaining peace with Britain Supporting Document
Hamilton’s Plan for the Government, 1783 Hamilton's never-submitted resolution to amend the Articles of Confederation Supporting Document
Martha Washington on Postwar Life, 1784 Letter anticipating a return to normalcy after the American Revolution Supporting Document
Certification of Romeo Smith’s Status as a Free Man, 1784 A legal document attesting the free status of a Black soldier Supporting Document