Project Overview
Window into the Early Republic is an archive providing primary sources related to nineteenth century American history viewed through the life of Judge Agustin Smith Clayton, an influential judge, politician, and U.S. Congressman from the State of Georgia who lived and worked in the early 19th century. Specific topics include Andrew Jackson’s presidency, the Indian Removal Act, and creation of the Whig Party. Additionally, this archive houses more general resources such as links to nineteenth century newspapers and Georgia censuses from 1850 to 2010.
The purpose of this archive is to equip historians and scholars with easy access to a wide variety of primary sources on the Jacksonian democracy and tools to conduct local research.
Primary Sources Available
Primary sources are available through this archive. Sources include a complete set of Georgia Manuscript Censuses from 1820-1930, Georgia county level data from 1900 to 2010. In 19th century newspapers, look for links to complete series of Niles Weekly Register, Hunts Merchant Magazine, DeBow’s Review, American Farmer, and American Annual Register.
Finally, a complete archive of primary research on the life of Augustin Smith Clayton is on the Clayton Documents page. Following the themed subpages, one could discover much about Cherokee Removal from Georgia, the Bank War from one of its front line soldiers, nullification from outside South Carolina, the formation of the Whig Party, and data on political and social history in Georgia in the Early Republic.
