This collection primarily contains fully searchable, digitized and transcribed letters from politicians of the Jacksonian era. The collection documents candid discussion about the most controversial issues of the time from some of the most powerful men in the country. The letters were written to Moses Dawson (1768-1844), editor of the Cincinnati Advertiser, a direct predecessor of today's Cincinnati Enquirer Dawson was a well-connected, extremely influential figure, and these letters reflect his friendships and associations with many powerful politicians including four U. S. presidents (Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, James Knox Polk, and William Henry Harrison); several senators, congressmen and governors; military personnel; and other notable individuals. The collection consists of 182 letters written between 1811 and 1844. The collection also includes biographical information about Dawson and selected correspondents, finding aids, a thesis written about Dawson by a Xavier University student, and documents describing the time period. The Moses Dawson Correspondence was donated to Xavier University in 1934 by Joseph Debar, a prominent alumnus of Xavier University whose spouse was a descendant of Moses Dawson. The digitization and transcription of the collection was made possible through a grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), awarded by the State Library of Ohio in 2010. We thank our digitization partner, the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County; our transcription vendor, Backstage Library Works; and Teresa Chupp, a volunteer who devoted countless hours reviewing transcriptions and uploading files. For more information about the Moses Dawson collection, go to: http://www.xavier.edu/library/mosesdawson/.