“The Capture of Tenochtitlán” from Exploring The Early Americas Exhibition
Visit the Library of Congress and experience the world’s largest collection of culture and creativity like never before. The Thomas Jefferson Building now features exhibitions and installations that bring the Library’s unparalleled collections to life. Whether you are in Washington, D.C., or at home, let the Library of Congress take you on a unique and personal journey through history. Millions of items are waiting for you—explore, discover, and be inspired.
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Exploring the Early Americas
Northwest Gallery 2nd Floor
Thomas Jefferson Bldg
Examine indigenous cultures, the drama of the encounters between Native Americans and Europeans, and the resulting changes caused by the meeting of the two worlds, which features selections from the Jay I. Kislak Collection. This exhibit also features Martin Waldseemüller’s 1507 map of the world—the first on which the word “America” appears.
Creating the United States
Northwest Gallery 2nd Floor
Thomas Jefferson Bldg
Gain insights into how the nation’s founding documents were forged and the role that imagination and vision played in the unprecedented creative act of forming a self-governing country. Participate in the process and delve into historic drafts of the Declaration of Independence, George Washington’s copy of the Constitution, and John Beckley’s Bill of Rights.
Thomas Jefferson’s Library
Northwest Gallery 2nd Floor
Thomas Jefferson Bldg
Take a trip through a re-created version of Jefferson’s library, which assembles 6,487 volumes that founded the Library of Congress, and learn how one of America’s greatest thinkers was inspired through the world of books.
Library of Congress Bibles Collection
Northwest Gallery 2nd Floor
Thomas Jefferson Bldg
Explore the significance of two monumental Bibles that face each other in the Library’s Great Hall—the Giant Bible of Mainz and the Gutenberg Bible. Through an interactive presentation, examine pages from these Bibles and learn about sixteen selected Bibles from the Library’s collections.
Bob Hope and American Variety
Ground Floor
Thomas Jefferson Bldg
Bob Hope has been a friend of every president of the United States since Franklin D. Roosevelt. Now on view are engaging photographs of Bob Hope making the presidents laugh, a personal holiday greeting from Richard M. Nixon and scores of political jokes from Hope's 89,000-plus-page personal Joke File, displayed in its entirety at the Library. The gallery also includes items from the newly acquired Bob Hope Collection, materials from the rich and varied collections of the Library, and objects borrowed from the Bob Hope Archives. This exhibition is free and open to the public. No reservations are needed.
Maps in Our Lives
Foyer of the Geography and Map Division
Madison Bldg, Room LM B01
The Library of Congress presents Maps in Our Lives, an exhibition in recognition of a thirty-year partnership between the Library's Geography and Map Division and the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM), the nation's primary professional organization dedicated to surveying and mapping activities. This exhibition explores four constituent professions represented by the ACSM--surveying, cartography, geodesy, and geographic information systems (GIS)--and draws on both the Library's historic map collections and the ACSM collection in the Library of Congress.
Last Updated: 09/26/2008