American originals / by Stacey Bredhoff ; foreword by John W. Carlin ; historian's perspective by Douglas Brinkley.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 122-123).

Historian's Perspective -- First Written Boundary of New Mexico, 1683 -- Case of Slave Smuggling, 1685 -- American Independence, Adopted and Declared, 1776 -- Benjamin Franklin's Post Office Ledger, 1753-76 -- George Washington's Account of Expenses, 1775-83 -- Treason of Benedict Arnold, 1780 -- Articles of Confederation, 1781 -- Voting Record of the Constitutional Convention, 1787 -- Louisiana Purchase Treaty, 1803 -- Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1803-06 -- Battle of Fort McHenry, 1814 -- United States volume The Amistad, 1841 -- Mormon Migration, 1845 -- Discovery of Gold in California, 1848-49 -- John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry, 1859 -- Southern States Secede, 1861 -- The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863 -- Siege at Petersburg, Virginia, 1864 -- Capture of Savannah, 1864 -- Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, 1865 -- Harriet Tubman's Pension Application, circa 1890 -- Treaty with the Sioux, 1868 -- Purchase of Alaska, 1868 -- Arrest of Susan B. Anthony for Illegal Voting, 1872 -- Thomas Edison's Patent No. 223,898, 1879 -- Deed of Gift of the Statue of Liberty, 1884 -- Preservation of Yosemite National Park, 1893 -- Annexation of Hawaii, 1898 -- Upton Sinclair's Advice on Inspecting Meat-packing Plants, 1906 -- Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 -- Mexican Punitive Expedition, 1916 -- Zimmermann Telegram, 1917 -- First Official Contact from the Soviet Government to the U.S., 1917 -- President Woodrow Wilson Names World War I, 1919 -- Helen Keller Promotes "Talking Books," 1933 -- Order to Arrest John Dillinger, 1934.

Presents glimpses of some of the United States greatest documentary treasures.