Seward, William H. (William Henry), 1801-1872 Archives

Letter from Charles Fremont Amidon to Milton Dwight Purdy

Judge Amidon asks Judge Purdy about where he can find the full speech that President Roosevelt gave at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Amidon explains that he will be delivering the address at the next meeting of the American Bar Association, and he would like to speak to the recent criticisms of Roosevelt and Secretary of State Elihu Root. He quotes a variety of former politicians and justices to make the point that state issues have become important on a national scale. Amidon believes the Constitution should be interpreted liberally and “should respond only to the deep, abiding, organic things of the nation’s life.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-02-08

Creator(s)

Amidon, Charles Fremont, 1856-1937

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Frederick Palmer

Theodore Roosevelt tells Frederick Palmer that he is “sick at heart about Wilson and therefore the American people.” He compares the current situation to what might have happened during the Civil War if Abraham Lincoln had been too proud to fight, but he believes that even then, someone would have roused the northerners in the end. Roosevelt believes he has done everything he can to rouse the American people, and he informs Palmer that he has the beginnings of a Division already planned.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1915-08-28

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William B. Weeden

President Roosevelt tells William B. Weeden his opinions and critiques of a book written by Weeden that he is reading on his trip to Panama. He compares the situations of Abraham Lincoln to his own, concluding that he has “bigger men than Lincoln had in his cabinet-men who have the great qualities of Seward, Chase and Stanton, without their great defects.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-11-12

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James Ford Rhodes

President Roosevelt tells James Ford Rhodes he has just finished reading his fifth volume, which has tied in well with Roosevelt’s other readings of Thomas Babington Macaulay’s History and Abraham Lincoln’s letters and speeches. Although the president agrees with Rhodes that the right is not all on one side and the wrong is not all on the other in quarrels, Roosevelt thinks the American Civil War is the exception, as he believes “the right was exclusively with the Union people.” Roosevelt talks about his plans to build up the Navy to avoid war, believing the Panama Canal will help. Finally, he discusses problems he has been having with the tariff and Southern states. He disagrees with Rhodes that the South is not trying to reinstate slavery, as there is peonage in three states right now. Roosevelt closes by mentioning how his opponents helped him during the election campaign.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-11-29

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from James Brown Scott to Theodore Roosevelt

James Brown Scott acquired a copy of Ordeal by Battle by Frederick Scott Oliver at the recommendation of Theodore Roosevelt. He lays out the case for intervention on the part of the United States in World War I, citing international law established at the Hague Peace Conferences, Germany’s violation of Belgian neutrality, and the history of similar cases such as the 1861 Trent Affair.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1915-07-27

Creator(s)

Scott, James Brown, 1866-1943

Nevada: battle-born

Justice Norcross outlines the history of Nevada, starting with Secretary of War Charles A. Dana’s account of President Abraham Lincoln’s fight to make it a state so that it could support a constitutional amendment abolishing slavery. Norcross goes on to describe the rich mineral resources of the state, its contributions to the country, and the current troubles it faces, especially regarding transportation and railroad rates.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-11

Creator(s)

Norcross, Frank H. (Frank Herbert), 1869-1952

The doctrine of expatriation

In this magazine article, John Bassett Moore discusses the concept of expatriation. In the early days of the American republic, the government inherited the idea of “indefeasible allegiance” from English common law, which was maintained for some time. The first Secretary of State to announce the doctrine of expatriation was James Buchanan, who believed it was the duty of America to protect naturalized and native citizens exactly the same. This opinion was not adopted by subsequent secretaries of state until Buchanan was president, and did not become law in the United States until July 1868. Since 1872, the United States has tried to secure naturalization treaties with all countries. Moore concludes his article discussing an incorrect impression about expatriation. Some people believe a declaration of intention to become an American citizen brings about the same protection as a citizen, which Moore firmly states is “altogether erroneous.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-12

Creator(s)

Moore, John Bassett, 1860-1947

John A. Logan in 1859

John Alexander Logan stands at center, holding a paper that states “No Interference with Slave-Hunters!” and looking over his left shoulder at two slave hunters rounding up a family of fugitive slaves. A similar scene is repeated in the background. Abraham Lincoln, William H. Seward, and Charles Sumner are standing on the left, watching in anger and with restraint. Caption: “You call it the dirty work of the Democratic Party to catch fugitive slaves for the Southern people. WE are willing to perform that dirty work.” –John Alexander Logan, in the Illinois State Legislature, Dec. 9th, 1859.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1884-07-09

Creator(s)

Gillam, Bernhard, 1856-1896

Letter from John E. Ballaine to Theodore Roosevelt

John E. Ballaine has established a new town on Resurrection Bay with the goal of opening the Alaskan interior to settlement and development. The town has been named Seward after William H. Seward who, as Secretary of State, negotiated the purchase of Alaska in 1867. The Post Office Department is preventing the post office from being named after Seward as there are already two post offices in Alaska with that name. Ballaine requests President Roosevelt’s help with the matter. In a handwritten note to Assistant Postmaster General Bristow, Roosevelt agrees with Ballaine’s “patriotic sentiments.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-10-10

Creator(s)

Ballaine, John E., 1868-1941

Allison at Tama

Transcription of Senator William B. Allison’s speech at the Iowa Republican convention. Allison covers a variety of topics, including the upcoming state election, William McKinley’s assassination, economic conditions, and several foreign affairs issues.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-10-15

Creator(s)

Unknown