The U.S. Government Funds the Wilkes Expedition, Which Played a Major Role in the Development of Science in the United States
by John Q. Adams
14/08/1841. Adams writes, “Enclosed is a draft dated this day…for 1500 dollars,…being the proceeds of the Bill of Exchange drawn by the purser of the exploring expedition Waldron in favor of Captain Wilkes, .” It was an era of American exploration, one that led to the Mexican War and the westward expansion to the Pacific Ocean. One of the foremost manifestations of this was the famed United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842, which was an exploring and surveying expedition to... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
John Adams Free Frank, Addressed to Massachusetts Politician and Author, H.A.S. Dearborn
by John Adams
20/11/1822. Dearborn, son of General Henry Dearborn, was Collector of the Port of Boston and the first president of the Massachusetts Horticultural SocietyHenry Alexander Scammell Dearborn was a Massachusetts politician and author, and son of the Revolutionary War General, Henry Dearborn. In 1822, he was serving as the Collector of the Port of Boston and was an active member of several historical and scientific societies (he was the first President of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society). He was also a... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
Funding the Wilkes Expedition, Which Played a Major Role in the Development of Science in the United States
by John Q. Adams
07/07/1841. The funding request “was presented yesterday to the Secretary of the Navy, and accepted by him.” It was an era of American exploration, one that led to the Mexican War and the westward expansion to the Pacific Ocean. One of the foremost manifestations of this was the famed United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842, which was an exploring and surveying expedition to the Pacific and Antarctic Oceans and surrounding lands. President John Quincy Adams initiated the idea and requested... Read More
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John Adams Marvels That the Seeds of Independence He and Benjamin Franklin Planted in the Courts of Princely France Would Grow Into the Great American Experiment and an Expanding Nation
by John Adams
12/02/1818. He praises the son of the ""French Father of the American Revolution” for coming to live in the United States - “the Republican Wilderness” -, laying the foundation for his future prosperity Adams is also happy that his move proves that the motto - if things are going well, make no changes - is hardly universally applicable “I observed the motto of the Hotel de Valentinois which I had then the honor to inhabit 'Se sta bene non se move'... Read More
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President John Adams Address on Preserving the United States as Both a Republic and an Independent Nation
by John Adams
02/05/1798. When Adams became President in March of 1797, the French had seized nearly 300 American ships bound for British ports. They had ordered this measure in retaliation for the Jay Treaty the U.S. had signed with Great Britain, which the French considered evidence of an Anglo-American alliance. Relations between France and the U.S. worsened when Talleyrand, the French foreign minister, rejected the Federalist Charles C. Pinckney as America's minister to France.https://vimeo.com/755678185In the U.S., Republicans believed that it was... Read More
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John Quincy Adams Manages the Estate of His Brother-in-Law, Thomas B. Johnson
by John Q. Adams
01/05/1844. An uncommon internal document in the Adams familyThomas Baker Johnson was the brother of Louisa Catherine Adams, the wife of John Quincy Adams. George Washington visited the Johnsons' home in February of 1798, when Joshua, father of Thomas, was serving as Superintendent of Stamps with the Treasury Department. Washington invited them to visit him at Mount Vernon, which they did in May of 1799, Catherine and Joshua accompanied Thomas. Thomas received a political appointment in 1808 as the... Read More
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From the Library of a Congressman: The Original Publication of the Henry Papers During the War of 1812, Printed by James Madison for Members of Congress
by Americana
09/03/1812. From the collection of Dr. Otto O. Fisher, who bought primarily in the 1930s and 1940s, so this not been offered for sale in nearly a centuryThe Henry Letters were correspondence by an adventurer named John Henry with the Governor General of Canada, Sir James Craig in 1809. The letters documented Henry's efforts to determine Federalist sympathies to have the New England states leave the United States and join the British Empire. A bundle of letters was sold... Read More
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The Very Day that England Declared the War Over, the American Revolution Over, France Officially Calls Off Operations Against the British and Orders French Forces to Return Home from the Colonies
by Americana
04/02/1783. A bookend to the war for American independence: Thus ended successfully a war in which the French had been instrumental in gaining American independence “The ratifications [of the Treaty of Paris] having been exchanged, all dispatch must be made for the return of the troops, supplies and vessels of the army of M. the Comte d'Estaing. It is the intention of the War Department to bring to Provence all the troops who have departed…”Despite discussions of a full alliance,... Read More
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James Montgomery Flagg’s Poster, “Together We Win”, Showing Americans With Different Jobs Working Together for Victory
by Americana
1918. “Together We Win”, by famed illustrator James Montgomery Flagg, 1918, features 3 men, a sailor, worker, and Marine walking arm in arm 'together' to win the war. Large, very good,
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
Very Rare World War I Poster Extolling the Contributions of Women in Uniform
by Americana
1918. Illustrated by Clarence F. Underwood and published by the YWCA, 1918, this poster shows a woman operating communications equipment inside a booth with soldiers marching in the background. It features the message ""Back our girls over there, United War Work Campaign"" in the lower right hand corner. During World War I, the U.S. army recruited women to serve as telephone operators. This is one of the few World War I posters showing a woman in uniform. Fine condition,... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
Hans Christian Andersen's Final Fairy Tale Collection, Signed and Inscribed to a Romantic Interest
by Hans Christian Andersen
1872. Hans Christian Andersen is best known for such classic fairy tales as The Ugly Duckling, The Red Shoes, and The Emperor’s New Clothes. In 1872, he published his final major collection, in English entitled New Adventures, or Nye Eventyr og Historier (New Fairy Tales and Stories), appearing just three years before his death in 1875; This shows Andersen at his most mature and philosophical, containing darker, symbolic tales such as The Shadow, The Red Shoes, The Story of... Read More
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“My skirts are clear,” Writes Susan B. Anthony to a Woman Who Had Purchased Some of Her Books, Likely Including “The History of Woman Suffrage”
by Susan B. Anthony
9/3/04. It is interesting that she was personally sending out her books to women nationwideThe History of Woman Suffrage is a set of books that was produced by Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Stanton, and others associated with the women’s rights movement. Published in six volumes from 1881 to 1922, it is a history of the movement, primarily in the United States. Its more than 5700 pages are the major source for primary documentation about the women's suffrage movement from... Read More
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Susan B. Anthony Lobbies Congress to Gain Women the Right to Vote in an Expanding Nation
by Susan B. Anthony
27/12/1898. “If the House Committee has not reported, try to get a hearing at earliest day. And if you and Mrs. Harper are not enough, Miss Shaw, Mrs. Catt or myself must go on.” A fascinating letter showing how Anthony organized women’s suffrage effortsIn 1898, Congress was discussing annexing Hawaii to the United States. Hearings were held and in July of that year the annexation was approved. Susan B. Anthony and other suffragists sought to lobby Congress to extend social... Read More
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Beautiful Color Signed Photograph of Neil Armstrong
by Neil Armstrong
1/1/65. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy challenged the nation by establishing the goal of “landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” Eight years later that goal was accomplished, when on the Apollo 11 mission Neil Armstrong, along with Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin, took their capsule to the Moon, and Armstrong took the lunar module Eagle to the lunar surface and became the first man to walk on the Moon. Two statements... Read More
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President Chester A. Arthur Sends Condolences to Grand Duke Frederick of Baden on the Death of His Relative, Margrave Maximilian
by Chester A. Arthur
18/05/1882. Arthur unexpectedly became President when Garfield was assassinated, and once in office confounded all expectations. He saw his duty as no longer limited to party or supporters, but expanded to encompass what he sincerely thought was best for the country. He shocked everyone by becoming a firm champion of civil service reform. In 1883, he saw through Congress the Pendleton Act, which established that government jobs should be awarded on the basis of merit instead of political affiliation.... Read More
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The United States Ratifies the Geneva Convention; a Great Moment in US History
by Chester A. Arthur
22/01/1883. The efforts of Clara Barton and the Red Cross were instrumental in gaining American adoption of the Convention The Geneva International Conference of 1863 was the founding Conference of the Red Cross and gave the impetus to the development of the humanitarian laws of war embodied in subsequent Geneva Conventions.[video width=""1920"" height=""1080"" mp4=""https://cdn.raabcollection.com/wp-content/uploads/20231204130552/Geneva-Convention-Arthur.mp4""][/video] This great humanitarian movement was initiated by Henry Dunant who, in 1859, was an eyewitness of the battle of Solferino where thousands of wounded died without care... Read More
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President Chester A. Arthur Appoints an Officer Who Would Be Seriously Wounded at the Head of His Regiment of Buffalo Soldiers Taking San Juan Hill in Cuba
by Chester A. Arthur
03/07/1882. After graduating from West Point in 1877, John J. Brereton was posted to Ft. Supply in the Oklahoma territory, and put in command of one of several companies of Indian Scouts. In 1882 he was promoted to First Lieutenant and stationed at Fort Elliott in Texas. Between 1881 and 1884 that fort’s troops were all black and the officers all white with the exception of Lt. Henry Flipper, the first black graduate of West Point. The main function... Read More
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Three generations of Chester A. Arthurs on the Same Bank Check, Including the President as President
by Chester A. Arthur
18/03/1884. A check of Chester A. Arthur on The Nassau Bank of New York, March 18, 1884, made out in his hand to Chester A. Arthur, Jr. Esq. for $100 and boldly signed as President. There are thus two signatures of his on the front. On the verso Chester A. Arthur, Jr. has signed “C.A. Arthur, Jr.” as an endorsement with a bank stamp below the signature. Below this his son has written “For Gisela Merz from her friend... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
President Chester A. Arthur Appoints a Civil War Signal Corpsman a Captain in the Cavalry
by Chester A. Arthur
26/12/1884. Acquired from the descendants of the recipient and has never been offered for sale beforeJohn Quincy Adams first enlisted in 1862 with the 38th Ohio Volunteers. On October 15 of that year he was a quartermaster sergeant with the 10th Ohio Cavalry, reporting to Cairo, Ill., for Instruction on February 23, 1863. After a stint as acting lieutenant, on July 15, 1864, he was appointed by the President Second Lieutenant, to date from March 3, 1863. Adams was... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
An Archive of Hundreds of Letters, Pamphlets and Other Material, Spanning Decades, from Civil Rights Leader and Museum Founder Albert Barnes, Never Before Offered for Sale
by Albert C. Barnes
1/1/25. The archive documents important moments in both these efforts Included is a sub-archive of letters of Mrs. BarnesAlbert C. Barnes was an American chemist, businessman, art collector, writer, educator, and the founder of the Barnes Foundation. Barnes made a fortune as the developer of the antiseptic Argyrol, and subsequently amassed an impressive collection of more than 2,000 pieces of rare art. His extensive holdings include many European and American impressionist masterpieces and early modern art, including works by Cezanne,... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
An Engraving of the Statue of Liberty, Inscribed and Signed by Its Sculptor, Bartholdi
by Frederic Bartholdi
28/10/1886. One of the great American landmarks and the most inspiring symbol of American freedom ever erected, the Statue of Liberty greeted millions upon millions of immigrants to the Promised Land, from whom so many Americans today are descended. It was the embodiment of the words written on its base:“Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,I lift my lamp beside the golden... Read More
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Alexander Graham Bell Wins a Patent Case for His Contributions to Aviation
by Alexander Graham Bell
24/02/1914. Bell won by the case when the Patent Office found for him the next yearAlexander Graham Bell was not merely the inventor of the telephone, but a pioneering aviation researcher, who formed the Aerial Experiment Association (AEA) in 1907 to develop flying machines - to ""put a man in the air"". The team invented and perfected the use of ailerons for lateral control, which was a critical, lasting contribution to aircraft design. They also developed the successful Silver... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
The French, With Recriminations About the Sale from Napoleon, Seek to Slow the Delivery of their Cession of Louisiana to the Desk of Thomas Jefferson
by Thomas Jefferson|Napoleon Bonaparte
28/05/1823. “I beg you to have them copied for me as diligently as possible...I desire that the departure of Mr. Jay (Peter Augustus) be deferred until next Wednesday…”The French ratification of the Louisiana Purchase treaty and conventions was dated May 22nd and signed by Bonaparte, Foreign Minister Talleyrand, Minister of the Treasury Barbé de Marbois, and Hugues Bernard Maret, who, as the secretary of state, was responsible for promulgating laws and decrees. It was delivered to the representatives of... Read More
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A Great Treasure: The United States Receives French Cession of the Louisiana Purchase and Instructions from Napoleon to Deliver to President Jefferson
by James Monroe|Thomas Jefferson|Napoleon Bonaparte
23/05/1803. James Monroe and Robert Livingston receive the Treaty signed by Napoleon, notification of French ratification, and instructions from the French: Deliver this ""to the President of the United States without delay to do what must be done"" and secure American ratification This doubled the size of the United States and is one of the most significant moments in American history; In 2019, this document was saved from a fire at the Karpeles Manuscript Library and survivedThis document, central to... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
At the Height of His Empire, Napoleon Assigns Officers to the Army and Government of Italy
by Napoleon Bonaparte
09/05/1810. ""I approve the slate of officers you propose to use for the Army of Italy. I think you should add General Bissonin. Regarding General Menou, the Vice Roy must first present to me an officer for Governor of Venice. Send General Pacthod to the Army of Naples where he can serve.""In May 1810, Napoleon was at the high-water mark of his empire, strengthening and intensifying his Continental System against Britain. Napoleon focused then on restricting British commerce, and... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC