The collection consists of Americana dating, primarily, from the period of the American Revolution and the thirty years immediately following, collected by Straus. Included are autograph letters from, and documents signed by, some of the leading figures of the period, such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, John Hancock, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, John Jay (1745-1829), James Madison, James Monroe, Robert Morris, and various signers of the Declaration of Independence. In addition, there are autograph letters from later presidents--Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, James Buchanan; a folder of letters from various other 19th-century statesmen, English and American; and a folder of colonial bills of lading, dating back to 1698.

Specific items include John Adams's letter to Richard Rush (1813) in support of the War of 1812; letters patent (1835) for a new kind of brick, with accompanying diagrams and description by the inventor; an autograph memorandum (1637) of Roger Williams; George Washington's letter to James Madison (1788) in which he rejoices at all the states having, so far, adopted the Constitution; John Hancock's letter to the Assembly of the State of Delaware (1777), enclosing a copy of the Declaration of Independence for the state's archives; the petition (1676) of Peter Freeman, Indian, to the Court of Mass. for the freedom of his wife; and a document circulated by the Massachusetts' Committee of Correspondence (1773), discussing the colonies' common grievances against Great Britain and anticipating war.