The Founders' Bookshelf

Here, patriots, is the most trustworthy source of the history of the American Founding Era (1760-1805): the Founding Fathers' own writings. They are listed in alphabetical order of the name of the Founding Father. If you are looking for the online writings of a Founding Father or other important historical figure, please leave your question in the "Comments" section below.

Also included in this list are several of the political thinkers and historians from which the Founding Fathers drew some of their ideas.

NOTE: Not all those listed below are to be considered "Founding Fathers," and not all those names listed here presented worthy viewpoints, nor did the Founders quote such writers positively. In this category of infamous philosophers are Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and David Hume, who helped formulate much of the ideas of contemporary humanism, which the Founding Fathers rejected. The names of these men and others are in red.

The reader may also find it helpful that digitized versions of several of the volumes below may be viewed and searched at Google Book Search.

ADAMS, JOHN (1725-1826)

• Autobiography
  
• Correspondence with Abigail Adams
• Diary (1753-1804)
• Letters, Tracts, and Essays
• Public Speeches and Addresses
• Works and Correspondence
  

• Diaries
• Voluminous Works, Poems, and Speeches
  

• Writings, volume one
  
• Writings, volume two
• Writings, volume three
• Writings, volume four

• Works, Correspondence, and Speeches
  

• Advancement of Learning
• Novum Organum
  

• Commentaries on the Laws of England (Avalon Project)
• Commentaries on the Laws of England (LONANG)
  

• On Plymouth Plantation

• Works
• The Age of Revelation (1790)
  
• The Second Advent (1815)
  
• A Star in the West (1816)
  

• Works

• Library of Congress
• Max Farrand's Records of the Debates
• Elliot's Debates
• Letters of the Delegates
• A Century of Lawmaking
• Foundational Documents & notes by the delegates
  

• Letter from a Pennsylvania Farmer
• Writings
• Selected Pamphlets
  

• The Electric Ben Franklin
• The Papers of Benjamin Franklin
• Autobiography

• History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (12 volumes)
  

• Works

• Works (edited by Henry Cabot Lodge; 12 volumes)
• Works and Correspondence (edited by John Church Hamilton; 7 volumes)
• The Papers of Alexander Hamilton (ed. by Syrett and Cooke), vol. 4, vol. 6, vol. 7, vol. 8, vol. 17, vol. 19, vol. 20, vol. 21, vol. 23, vol. 24, vol. 25, vol. 26
  
• History of the Republic of the United States as Traced in the Writings of Alex. Hamilton and His Contemporaries, by John Church Hamilton, vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3, vol. 4, vol. 5, vol. 6, vol. 7
  

• Code of Hammurabi

• Life, Correspondence, and Speeches (by William Wirt Henry; 3 volumes)
  

• Works

• Works
• Other Collections
  

• Works

• Papers
• Memorials of Peter A. Jay for His Descendants, by John Jay
• Life and Writings of John Jay, with Selections from his Correspondence, by William Jay, vol. 1, vol 2
  

• Library of Congress Collection
• University of Virginia Collection
• Letters, Tracts, and Essays
• Voluminous Letters and Correspondence
• Works NEW!!!
  

• Letters from a Federal Farmer

• Works

• Public Speeches and Addresses
• Notes at the Convention of 1787
• Works
  
• Papers (LOC)
  
• Selected Writings

• The Life of George Washington (5 volumes)
• Life of John Marshall, by Albert J. Beveridge, vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3, vol. 4
  

• Pamphlets
  

• Complete Works
• "The Claims of Episcopacy Refuted," by Rev. John Mitchell Mason
  

• Works

• Works

• Diary and Letters (2 volumes)
• Biography by Theodore Roosevelt
  

• Writings
• Selected Writings and Pamphlets

• Works

• Works

• Morals
• Lives
  
• Other
  

• Works
  

• History of the American Revolution (2 volumes)
• Pamphlets
  

• Works

• Works

• Works

• Portions of his Commentaries on the U. S. Constitution

• Democracy in America
• Journeys to England and Ireland

• The Law of Nations, or, The Principles of Natural Law

• History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution (2 volumes)

• Manuscript Papers (LOC)
• Papers (Avalon Project)
• Papers (University of Virginia)
• Writings (edited by Fitzpatrick)
• Public Writings (Founders' Library)
• Writings (edited by Jared Sparks; vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3, vol. 4, vol. 5, vol. 6, vol. 7, vol. 8, vol. 9, vol. 10, vol. 11, vol. 12)
  
• On Editing Washington's Papers (by Jared Sparks)
  
• "Daily Sacrifice" (Washington's personal prayer journal)
• George Washington's Journal
  

• Works
• Translation of the Holy Bible
• Pamphlets
• Search-able Unabridged Dictionary (1828 and 1913 versions)
  

• Works
• Letters, Tracts, and Essays
• Pamphlets
  

• "Dominion of Providence over the Passions of Men" (Sermon)
• Essay on Money
• Works of Dr. John Witherspoon (Edited by Rev. Dr. John Rodgers); volume 1, volume 2, volume 3, volume 4 NEW!!!
  

• "Empire and Nation" (Lee and Dickinson)
• "The American Republic: Primary Sources"
• "The Founders' Constitution"
• "Christianity and the United States," by John Franklin Goucher
• "Liberty and Order: The First American Party Struggle"
• "Political Sermons from the Founding Era" (2 volumes)
• Letters, Tracts, and Essays of other individual Founders
• Treaties of the U. S. with the Barbary Pirates (includes several versions of the Treaty of Tripoli)