A reproduction of Alexander Hamilton’s 1783 commission as lieutenant colonel for the Revolutionary Army, this matted print is an artifact of U.S. history. In 1809, five years after his death, Hamilton’s widow Elizabeth submitted a petition requesting restoration of her husband’s right to a pension. Along with a personal statement of his property and debts, she submitted this commission. Mrs. Hamilton's initial attempt to secure a pension failed, but in 1816, Congress passed a bill granting five years' pay, which was a full pension, to Mrs. Hamilton.

The National Archives, through its National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), has entered into a cooperative agreement with the University of Virginia Press to create the Founders Online site and make freely available online the historical documents of the Founders of the United States of America.

Through the Founders Online website, you will be able to read and search through thousands of records from George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison and see firsthand the growth of democracy and the birth of the Republic.