Witness to the Early American Experience

archive

The digital images of historical documents in this archive preserve the words of hundreds of eyewitnesses to the American Revolution in and around New York City. The letters, newspapers, broadsides, legal records, and maps presented here record events from the early years of the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam through the British occupation of the city during the Revolution. Here you can explore the history of New York through the words of those who lived it…

feature

While all of the documents in this collection are important, we have selected some that are especially fascinating or significant. This section will be updated periodically with fresh information about individual items from the collection.
Currently featured is a letter from Mrs. A. Hampton detailing the events in New York City during those tense days immediately following the arrival of the British fleet.…

education

Digital imaging technology makes it possible to share these rare and often fragile documents with a wider audience than ever before. This section will contain lesson plans and curriculum materials to assist K-12 teachers who want to enrich the classroom expeience with primary resources. This section will expand and change as teachers develop new ways to incorporate these documents into the educational experience…

orientation

New York City has always played a central role in the history of the United States. The guided tour will give a brief overview of New York City during the colonial and revolutionary periods. The tour is arranged in chronological order with each page including a single relevant example from the thousands of documents available in the archives…