Subject: Maryland Politics

Autograph letter signed by Jacob I. Cohen, Jr. to Elie Beatty, Esq., Cashier of the Hagerstown Bank, Hagerstown, Maryland, dated September 3, 1822. The letter, written from Baltimore, Maryland, concerns financial matters and is historically significant in the context of Jacob I. Cohen Jr.'s efforts to overturn Maryland's discriminatory Christian Test Act.

Broadside memorial submitted to the Maryland General Assembly in 1823, requesting the confirmation of legislation granting equal rights to Jews. The document, approximately 8" x 10", is undated but the context suggests it relates to the 1823-1824 legislative session concerning the 'Jew Bill'. The broadside lacks signatures, leaving the authorship uncertain. The text asks that the 'Jew Bill' be confirmed, referring to legislation aimed at removing religious restrictions for Jewish individuals holding political or civil office in Maryland.

Issue of Niles' Weekly Register newspaper published in Baltimore, Maryland on January 14, 1826. This issue contains a report on the passage of the "Jew Bill," which granted Jews the right to hold public office in Maryland for the first time. The newspaper, founded in 1811, was a widely circulated source of national political news during the first half of the 19th century.

Two-page broadside documenting a petition supporting, and the subsequent legislative act for, the partial repeal of Maryland's Sunday Blue Laws in 1867. The petition, from unnamed citizens, expresses support for a January 1866 draft bill. The second page reproduces the motion passed by the Maryland General Assembly.

Supplement to Volume 15 of Volume III, New Series of Niles' Weekly Register, published in Baltimore, Maryland in 1819. This newspaper measures approximately 6-1/4" x 9-5/8" and contains 192 pages. Of particular interest to American Judaica studies are five pages dedicated to debates in the Maryland legislature concerning the "Jew Bill," proposed legislation aiming to grant Jews equal rights to Christians. Included are letters from Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and James Madison to Mordecai Noah (dated 1818), expressing their views on Jewish rights and citizenship, along with speeches delivered in the Maryland House of Representatives on the matter. The newspaper covers the period from September 1818 to March 1819. Additional content includes over 50 pages on the Florida Seminole War, featuring speeches from U.S. Congress members such as Cobb and Henry Clay debating the condemnation of General Andrew Jackson's actions, including the trial and execution of British subjects, and his occupation of Pensacola and St. Marks in Spanish Florida. The front page serves as an index to the contents.