“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
Explore variety entertainment through the lens of Bob Hope’s long and rich career, in which he continued to practice the traditions learned on the vaudeville stage.
Here to Stay: The Legacy of George and Ira Gershwin
Ground Floor
Thomas Jefferson Bldg
Experience the glamour and sophistication of the 1920s and 1930s in this permanent tribute to the brothers who helped provide a musical background to the period. The exhibition contains a wealth of materials that provide insight into their careers and personalities, including manuscript and printed music, lyric sheets and librettos, personal and business correspondence, photographs, paintings, and drawings, all from the Gershwin Collection in the Music Division of the Library of Congress, the world's preeminent resource for materials about the Gershwins.
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.
Voices, Votes, Victory: Presidential Campaign Songs
Foyer of the Performing Arts Reading Room
James Madison Bldg
View a sampling of presidential campaign songs found in the rich collection of sheet music housed in the Music Division of the Library of Congress. Explore the history of the political song in the United States and examine sheet music, cover art, and lyrics dating from 1798 to 1968. The earliest items are rare melodies that honored America's first presidents for winning and maintaining the young nation's liberty.
Last Updated: 12/08/2008