The Selected Papers of John Jay


The Selected Papers of John Jay is an ongoing endeavor by scholars at Columbia University's Rare Book and Manuscript Library to organize, transcribe and publish a wide range of politically and culturally important letters authored by and written to American Founding Father John Jay that demonstrate the depth and breadth of Jay's contributions as a nation builder. More than 13,000 documents from over 75 university and historical collections have been compiled and photographed to date. Printed volumes illustrate Jay's roles as a patriot, jurist, diplomat, peacemaker and governor. Of seven planned chronological letterpress volumes, four books have been completed and span the years 1760 - 1788; three more volumes are scheduled for release dates of 2017, 2019 and 2020. An online, indexed database of the letters in these volumes and more was first launched in 2003. The papers also shed light on the lives of other key Founding Fathers like Washington, Adams, Franklin, Jefferson, Madison and Hamilton.

History

The project was originally begun by noted American historian Richard B. Morris in the 1950s; however, as of his death in 1989 only two volumes had been published. After more than a decade of little progress, new sources of underwriting in 2004 helped reinvigorate the work under the leadership of editor Elizabeth M. Nuxoll together with fellow Jay scholars Jennifer E. Steenshorne, Robb K. Haberman and Mary A. Y. Gallagher. Volumes 1 through 4 have been published by the University of Virginia Press
Volumes 1 - 3 have also been published online as part of UVA's searchable Rotunda project and America's Founding Era collection

Funding

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission, a division of the National Archives and Records Administration is the major sponsor of the Selected Papers of John Jay. The project has been funded through 2017 by the National Endowment for the Humanities.