The collection, selection, and publication of the correspondence of great (and not so great) Americans has a history nearly as old as the nation's. Volumes of letters began appearing by the early nineteenth century, including those authored by obscure as well as by famous men.
The goal of People of the Founding Era is twofold: one is biographical; the other is prosopographical. These important and complementary approaches allow the user to discover a complex and rich set of offerings.