Pennsylvania -- Politics and government -- 1775-1865

David Lynch (1793-1860) was an active member of the Democratic Party in Pennsylvania in the mid-19th century and a friend and supporter of President James Buchanan. The bulk of this collection is comprised of Lynch's correspondence with other politically active Pennsylvanians and includes letters between Lynch and Buchanan. Also included are personal papers, pamphlets, religious ephemera, newspaper clippings, photos, and engravings.

This collection contains materials related to the Nativist Riots (also known as the Anti-Catholic Philadelphia Riots, the Philadelphia Prayer Riots, and the Bible Riots) in 1844. The bulk of the collection is contemporary pamphlets published about the riots as well as correspondence from Morton McMichael the sheriff of Philadelphia at the time of the riots.