Our Exhibits
While print editions provide opportunities to annotate, preserve, and share original documents, printed books by nature limit the way historical documents can be presented. Digital exhibits offer us the opportunity to step out of the printed box and display information and images in other formats.
Explore the pages below to see manuscript images and documents from Jefferson collections presented with contextual information, interactive transcriptions, visualizations, and other additional features.
Petition of Jane McGraw
During his presidency, Thomas Jefferson received many petitions for pardon. Jane McGraw was convicted of illegally selling liquor in the District of Columbia. This exhibit traces her efforts to obtain a pardon.
Images of Jane McGraw’s petition and pardon appear alongside detailed background information and the identification of legal conventions.
VIEW THE PETITION OF JANE MCGRAW
Declaration of Independence
This exhibit invites exploration of two elements of the Declaration’s creation. Drafting the Declaration illuminates the successive stages of the text.
Building Blocks traces the paths by which some pieces that originated in other documents became part of the Declaration.
VISIT THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE EXHIBIT