Thomas Ritchies professional papers are chiefly letters to him as editor of the Washington Union, the official organ of the Democratic party (the entire collections contains only a few letters by him).The letters cover all the political topics of the day; extension of slavery, Texas, the Mexican War (militarily and politically), internal improvements, Wilmot Proviso, oregon territory, Whig and Democratic politics, transcontunental railroad, Baltimore convention, Nashville convention, Presidential elections of 1844 and 1848, and contain references to Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, Zachary Taylor, Winfield Scott, Martin Van Buren, James K. Polk, Thomas Hart Benton, and Lewis Cass. A few relate to South American affairs, and Ritchie's business papers as a printer are also included. The letters cover a wide geographical range (a number, however, are written from Virginia) and often reflect local political conditions and the opinions of the average citizen. Among the correspondents are: R.M.T. Hunter, Ambrose Dudley Mann, W.D. Wallach, S. Basset French, and Andrew Stevenson.