He also edited collections of the correspondence of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and other figures in early American history.
[4] Ford's historical work was also notable for his tenure as chief of the newly established Manuscripts Division at the Library of Congress.
During his time in charge, from 1903 to 1909,[4] he organized a significant effort to photograph and copy manuscripts pertaining to early American history which resided in foreign archives (especially France, Britain, and Spain).
Ford's presidential address, The Editorial Function in United States History, is notable for its careful exposure of the deliberate omissions made by early editors of the Founding Fathers papers, including faked memoirs, papers edited to hide controversies important at the time, and other "crimes and errors" common in the editing and publishing of historical documents of the time.
[8] Ford defended the American purchase and annexation of the Philippines from Spain during the Philippine–American War by saying "Questions of Conscience need not trouble us....