Title Page | Collection Summary | Biographical/Organizational Note | Scope and Content | Arrangement
Scope and Content Note
The papers of William Paterson (1745-1806) span the years 1760-1806. The collection consists of correspondence, legal and business records, essays, and notes of debates and resolutions from the United States Constitutional Convention of 1787. Subjects include the New Jersey Plan, Paterson's proposal for the structure of the U.S. government, submitted to the convention on June 15, 1787. Correspondents include Robert Morris and Paterson's wife, Cornelia Bell Paterson. In addition to original material, the collection is composed in part of a typewritten transcript and of negative photostats that are unidentified according to place of reproduction or transcriber.