Pamphlets – literature published in an unbound, ephemeral format – are one of the strengths of Special Collections. The collections contain thousands of sermons, speeches, tracts, and political writings from the seventeenth through the nineteenth century, many of which are very scarce. We'll share a pamphlet each week to highlight these holdings.
This week's selection comes from the Fourth of July Orations Collection. It's one of eight known copies, all in the United States, and contains exactly what it says it does – the text of a Fourth of July address given in 1824.
The Fourth of July Orations collection is a great source for studying the development of American identity and politics. Many speeches, including this one, comment on contemporary world events and urge leaders to stick with the values and policies espoused by the country's founders.
Newburyport, [Mass.] : Printed at the Herald office [by Ephraim W. Allen], 1824. Find it in the MERLIN catalog.