Fascinating manuscript DS as president, one page, 8 x 12.75, April 27, 1854. Executive order addressed to the Senate and House of Representatives, in full: "I transmit to Congress a copy of a correspondence between the Secretary of State and the Britannic Majesty's Minister accredited to this Government, and between the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury, relative to the expediency of further measures for the safety, health, and comfort of immigrants to the United States by sea. As it is probably that further legislation may be necessary for the purpose of securing those desirable objects, I commend the subject to the consideration of Congress." In fine condition, with light soiling to the bottom, touching but not affecting the signature. During the 1850s, America experienced a major influx of immigrants. In the three decades prior to Pierce leaving office, over five million immigrants, the majority of which being Irish and German, arrived on American shores. At this particular juncture, Pierce could seemingly do no right; his support of the Kansas-Nebraska Act angered Northerners and added to the conflict between the free and slave states, while his decision to protect the rights of immigrants, as exhibited here, came during a time of rising prejudice against newcomers from foreign lands. His mishandling of the matters led to the formation of both the Republican Party and the Know Nothing or American Party. An immensely intriguing document relating to early American immigration reform.
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