About
This website was developed as a part of the Transatlantic Ties project, a Mellon Foundation funded learning and outreach project which aimed to explore and raise awareness of the shared history of West Sussex and the United States through a wealth of resources in the County’s archives.
The project itself came into being as the result of exciting discoveries about The Sussex Declaration; the only known contemporary ceremonial parchment manuscript copy of the American Declaration of Independence apart from the signed original at the US National Archives. Professor Danielle Allen and Emily Sneff from the Declaration Resources Project at Harvard University first identified the significance of the Sussex Declaration in 2016 and their findings led to headlines around the world and viewings by royalty and the American President.
Such was the continued excitement generated in America that in 2019 West Sussex Record Office (WSRO) was awarded a grant by the Mellon Foundation in New York to develop a project based around the Sussex Declaration and to uncover and make available an ‘American Collection’ of further records related to American history.
Many of these documents were described in a 1976 book by former WSRO Education Officer Kim Leslie, entitled Roots of America. Both this book, and subsequent research carried out during the Transatlantic Ties project, have enabled us to identify over 100 records relating to people and places in West Sussex which tie into themes and events in the history of America in the 18th and 19th century such as the War of 1812, the American Civil War, the transatlantic slave trade, emigration and more.
These records can now be explored on this website which celebrates and promotes the many fascinating historical connections between America and West Sussex. The website also hosts learning resources for teachers based on selected documents from the American Collection.
The Transatlantic Ties project culminated in a symposium on 11th June 2022 at the University of Chichester. An exhibition about the project will tour libraries around West Sussex from August 2022 to spring 2023.
Although hampered by restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020-22, work continues to add to the existing resources on this website.
