Primary sources are the perfect avenue to help explore and investigate the events of January 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol as well as those that preceded it and those that followed it. Below we have compiled numerous resources to assist in deepening understanding of our past and present in the hopes that we can…
Today in History–May 23–the Library of Congress features Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C. On this day in 1865 the Army of the Potomac paraded down Pennsylvania Avenue in celebration of the end of the Civil War. Just weeks before, mourners had watched Abraham Lincoln‘s funeral cortege pass by the same route. A march down Pennsylvania Avenue has been featured in every…
Today in History–May 1–the Library of Congress features Benjamin Henry Latrobe, born on this day in 1764. Find out more about early American engineer and architect who helped plan the U.S. Capitol and the White House and many more influential buildings by visiting the Today in History section, then follow the links below to access primary sources about Latrobe and architecture. Benjamin Henry…
Today in History–January 30–the Library of Congress features Thomas Jefferson’s Library, which Congress agreed to purchase on this day in 1815. The nearly $24,000 sale more than doubled the original 3,000-volume Library of Congress collection that was destroyed the year before when the British captured Washington D.C. and burned the U.S. Capitol. Learn more by visiting…
Today in History–August 19–the Library of Congress features the burning of the capital city by British troops during the War of 1812. On August 19, 1814 the British landed at Benedict, Maryland. Five days later, on August 24, British forces attacked Washington D.C., setting fire to many government buildings including the White House and the Capitol building (which housed the 3,000-volume Library of…