Top of page
Posted by: Neely Tucker
The elaborately engraved powder horn was the prized possession of any gunman in colonial America, the elegant solution for hunters and soldiers who (literally) needed to keep their powder dry. The Library preserves 10 of these relics of the era, with etchings depicting everything from military victories to cityscapes to elaborate personal motifs.
Posted in: American Revolution, Geography and Maps Division, Maps
Posted by: Wendi Maloney
A major new Library exhibition, “The Two Georges: Parallel Lives in an Age of Revolution,” uses original documents such as letters, diaries, maps, newspapers and political cartoons to shed light on striking likenesses between men long supposed to be polar opposites -- George Washington and King George III. The two opposed one another during the Revolutionary War, but actually shared many personal and leadership traits. The exhibit, a joint project between the Library of Congress and the Royal Archives, runs at the Library through next March. It is also online via the Library's website and in a companion book.
Posted in: American Revolution, Exhibitions, Gazette, George Washington, LCM, Libraries, Library Work and Employees, Manuscripts, Researcher Stories, Thomas Jefferson Building
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Because George Washington and King George III were on opposite sides of America’s war of independence from Britain, we have learned to think of them as opposites. Our research for an upcoming Library of Congress exhibition, “The Two Georges: Parallel Lives in an Age of Revolution,” however, has turned up something much more interesting: They were surprisingly alike in temperament, interests and, despite the obvious differences in their lives and experiences.
Posted in: American Revolution, Exhibitions, George Washington, LCM, Manuscripts, Researcher Stories, U.S. Presidents, Washington DC
Posted by: Neely Tucker
A family Bible in Washington, looted by a British soldier during the War of 1812 and kept in his family for generations, was eventually returned to the nation more than a century later. It is now preserved by the Library, an artifact of two nations of war and then in peace.
Posted in: American Revolution, LCM, Rare Book and Special Collections, Washington DC
Posted by: Mark Hartsell
During the Revolutionary War, George Washington approved an audacious plan to kidnap King George's third son, Prince William, then in New York, and hold him hostage -- with all the greatest respect. The attempt was never made, for which the future King William IV was grateful when he later learned of the plot.
Posted in: Alexander Hamilton, American Revolution, Congress, Exhibitions, George Washington, LCM, Manuscripts, U.S. Presidents
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Author and academic Ned Blackhawk has been studying Native American history for a long time, and he thinks there are reasons to be optimistic about the future. He says that groundwork laid over the past several decades, particularly in the 1970s protest movements, has established a growing recognition of Native American influence on the foundations of U.S. culture and society, resulting in a cultural renaissance. His latest book, “The Rediscovery of America,” won the National Book Award for nonfiction this year, and his panel discussion at the National Book Festival was packed.
Posted in: American Revolution, Books, National Book Festival, Native Americans, Writers
Posted by: Mark Hartsell
After the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, the delegates spread the word as quickly as possible by publishing it on a broadside sheet and delivering it throughout the Colonies. Copies of the Dunlap Broadside (named after the printer) are now extremely rare, with only about two dozen copies known to surive. The Library has two, one of which belonged to George Washington.
Posted in: American Revolution, Congress, Manuscripts, Newspapers, Rare Book and Special Collections, U.S. Presidents
Posted by: John Sayers
The Library of Congress has joined with other federal agencies to begin the celebration of the United States Semiquincentennial and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.
Posted in: American Revolution, History, Rare Book and Special Collections
Posted by: Neely Tucker
The Library kicks off Black History Month with a new By the People crowdsourcing project -- transcribing the papers in the William A. Gladstone Afro-American Military Collection.
Posted in: African American History, American Revolution, Civil Rights, Civil War, World War II