Featured Documents

In this section, we feature a small selection of documents from the Papers of Thomas Jefferson, sorted by historical themes and subjects. Each document links to the transcription and annotations from our volumes, publicly available for free on Founders Online.

Accurate transcriptions and clear annotation help a reader to make sense of a document and to understand it in its historical context. For common abbreviations and repository symbols used, see the summary of our editorial method.

To Benjamin Vaughan, 27 June 1790

Vol. 16:578-580

Jefferson’s glowing account of maple sugar resources, growth of American inventions in wake of patent legislation, and use of cod liver oil in coating submarine timbers.

To William Linn, 31 July 1791

Vol. 20:706-707

Jefferson thanks Linn for sending a copy of his sermon praising freedom of religion as expressed in the Constitution.