This post was co-authored by Barbara Bavis and Robert Brammer, Legal Reference Specialists. December 2nd marked the 154th anniversary of the execution of John Brown, an act which transformed John Brown into a martyr for the abolitionist movement and further inflamed the sectional tensions that would ignite the Civil War. We previously featured the Jefferson …
We previously featured Senator Henry Clay’s law office as our picture of the week. Today, we bring you an image of his law license. I was fortunate to take a tour of Henry Clay’s estate, Ashland, and noticed his law license hanging on the wall. Ashland was kind enough to send me the high resolution scan of the license that you see pictured below. After …
The Jefferson County Courthouse in Charles Town, West Virginia was the second courthouse constructed in Charles Town, replacing a more modest structure that dated back to 1803. Built in 1836 on land donated by George Washington’s brother, Charles Washington, the courthouse is still in use today. Charles Town was the site of a trial that altered the course of our nation’s history. In …
This year, Stetson University’s duPont-Ball Library celebrates 125 years as a federal depository library. Stetson became Florida’s first federal depository library in 1887. Federal depository libraries serve a vital role, promoting equality under law by making federal documents accessible to all. Several dignitaries were on hand to help celebrate Stetson’s achievement. Among those in attendance …
In a historic neighborhood in Lexington, Kentucky, not far from the University of Kentucky, sits a house with a special connection to the U.S. Capitol Building. The house was designed by Benjamin Latrobe, the Second Architect of the Capitol. Latrobe was hired by Thomas Jefferson to work on the Capitol, and after it was damaged …
Construction of the inaugural platform continues as January 21st draws closer. This picture was taken on December 25, 2012. Here is another inauguration-related trivia question: How many times in our nation’s history has Inauguration Day fallen on a Sunday, and how has this scheduling issue been handled?
The Law Library of Congress houses approximately 60,000 rare items, 25,000 of which are housed in our climate controlled vault. The Law Library’s rare books collection is managed by our Rare Books Curator, Nathan Dorn. For an item to be considered rare, it typically must have been published prior to 1801. This 1788 translation of the U.S. …