Henry Laurens Papers, 1747-1860

The Henry Laurens Papers, 1747-1860 collection consists of correspondence, Congressional and military records, and other items.

Henry Laurens was a Charleston, S.C. merchant, plantation owner, South Carolina state legislator, U.S. Continental Congressman, and U.S. diplomat. In June 1775, Laurens became president of the U.S. Continental Congress and served in that role when the first Articles of Confederation were adopted. In 1780, Laurens was sailing to Holland to negotiate a treaty when his ship was intercepted, and he was arrested under suspicion of high treason and taken to the Tower of London. He was the only American to ever be imprisoned there.

The portion of the collection that is currently digitized consists of pamphlets written by and about Henry Laurens, while is arguments with other men of the time, including Sir Egerton Leigh and Edmund Jenings.