Original documents are the raw stuff of history. They are physical links to the past. The original documents of the U.S. Government - those that have been identified as having permanent value - are preserved and made available to the public by the National Archives and Records Administration. "American Originals" presents a selection of the United States' most significant and compelling documents, pieces of history - the glorious and the inglorious - in its most unprocessed form. George Washington's account of expenses, kept throughout the Revolutionary War. Harriet Tubman's pension claim for her service during the Civil War. Richard Nixon's letter resigning the Presidency. These and other rarely seen documents from the National Archives offer fascinating insights into the towering figures and events in American history. Combining the familiar with the obscure, "American Originals" presents glimpses of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller, Elvis Presley, John Muir, Rosa Parks, Benedict Arnold, John Brown, Susan B. Anthony, and many others, through a selection of America's greatest documentary treasures. Stacey Bredhoff is a senior exhibits curator at the National Archives. She is the author of "Powers of Persuasion: Poster Art from World War II" and "Draw! Political Cartoons from Left to Right".