Old letters and documents were handwritten in the styles of their time. With cursive, you can read many of them. Here are two things to know first (Reading Cursive Words).
The long s
Until about 200 years ago, a lowercase s was often written as a tall long s: ſ. It looks much like f, but it has no crossbar, or only a little nub on the left side. It was used at the start or in the middle of a word, and the short s at the end. So Congress was written Congreſs. The heading of the Bill of Rights at the National Archives has exactly this word.
| Old spelling | Read it as |
|---|---|
| ſun | sun |
| firſt | first |
| Congreſs | Congress |
| poſſeſs | possess |
Key idea
Why it works
Capitals of their time
The Declaration of Independence was written out on parchment in 1776 by Timothy Matlack, in a careful style called English round hand. Its title line reads “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America.” Writers then used capitals more freely than we do: States has a capital, but united doesn’t.
Worked example: Read the word
- The first letter is a long s: read it as s.
- The third letter is also a long s.
- So the word is sister.
Answer: sister
Common mistake