Exhibition Overview
On April 17, 1945, British Prime Minister
Winston S. Churchill addressed the House of Commons on
the occasion of President Franklin
Roosevelt's death. He said of his friend and ally: "In
war he had raised the strength, might and glory of the
great Republic
to a height never attained by any nation in history."
The exhibition will
be on view through July 10, 2004.
This and all Library of Congress exhibitions are on view
from Monday through Saturday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
This exhibition is free and open to the public. No reservations are needed.
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This exhibition preview examines the life and career of Winston
Spencer Churchill and emphasizes his lifelong links with the United
States--the
nation he called "the great Republic." The exhibition comes nearly
forty years after the death of Winston Churchill and sixty years
after the D-Day allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France during
World War II. It commemorates both of these events.
Churchill and the Great Republic draws on the unparalleled
collection of Churchill materials in the Churchill Archives Centre
in Cambridge, England. This is the first time that these materials
are exhibited comprehensively in the United States. The exhibition
also showcases the remarkable holdings on Churchill and his life
in the Library of Congress. A number of items, drawn from the rich,
multi-format collections of the Library, are newly uncovered and
have never been displayed previously.
Comprised of six major sections, the exhibition covers Churchill's
life and achievements from his birth on November 30, 1874, in Blenheim
Palace in Oxfordshire, England, to his death on January 24, 1965,
in London. Three of the sections deal with the World War II era,
reflecting the enormous role Churchill played in shaping the events
of that critical period in world history.
The exhibition includes letters, documents, photographs, prints,
books, maps, newspaper clippings, and three-dimensional artifacts.
Throughout, the installation features Churchill's words and ideas,
written and spoken. There are audio stations of speeches by Churchill,
original drafts of important addresses, and numerous quotations
by him and others made about him. The exhibition opens with a film
compilation showing politicians, presidents and other world leaders,
as well as entertainers quoting, paraphrasing, or imitating Churchill. Churchill
and the Great Republic closes with a selection of clips from
the few Churchill speeches recorded on film and with the words
of President John F. Kennedy spoken in tribute when granting Churchill
honorary U.S. citizenship.
"By adding his name to our rolls,
we mean to honor him--but his acceptance honors us far
more. For no statement or proclamation
can enrich his name now--the name Sir Winston Churchill
is already legend."
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