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In 1815, in response to the loss of the Library of Congress by fire during the War of 1812, Thomas Jefferson sold the Library of Congress his personal collection for the sum of $23,950. When adjusted for inflation this sale hardly merits it being called a donation and it was nearly market value for the Jefferson's Collection.

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Who donated millions of dollars toward the construction of public libraries?

Although the Library of Congress belongs to the U.S. government, it was first established as a legislative resource by Thomas Jefferson in 1800. Jefferson approved legislation that appropriated $5,000 from the government to purchase an initial 740 books and 3 maps. Jefferson created the Library of Congress during his Presidency because he believed government was best served by an informed and involved citizenry, and that there was "no subject to which a Member of Congress may not have occasion to refer." By 1814, the Library of Congress owned 3,000 books (a significant number for that era). Later that year, the British Army invaded Washington and burned the Capitol, including the books purchased during Jefferson's Presidency. In 1815, Thomas Jefferson, then retired, offered to sell his personal collection of 6,487 books to the library for $23,940, an acquisition considered to form the core of the new Library of Congress. Today, the Library of Congress is housed in the John Adams Building (1938) and the James Madison Memorial Building (1981), and is home to more than 141,847,810 items, including books, manuscripts, maps, and photographs. The library also owns the world's largest collection of legal information. In addition to functioning as a repository of knowledge, The Library of Congress is also responsible for issuing copyrights, conducting research, and writing legal research reports for Congress. The 2008 operating budget was $613,496,414, including authority to spend $50,447,565 on new acquisitions.


What is the world's biggest library called?

The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with nearly 142 million items on approximately 650 miles of bookshelves. The collections include more than 32 million books and other print materials, 3 million recordings, 12.5 million photographs, 5.3 million maps, 5.6 million pieces of sheet music and 62 million manuscripts.The Library was founded in 1800, making it the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. On August 24, 1814, British troops burned the Capitol building (where the Library was housed) and destroyed the Library's core collection of 3,000 volumes. On January 30, 1815, Congress approved the purchase of Thomas Jefferson's personal library of 6,487 books for $23,950.


What is James Madison known for during the war of 1812?

Madison was the president during this war. He was the one who asked Congress to declare war. He was also the one who had to flee Washington and the White House when the British invaded . He had to find a new place to live after the British burned the White House.


What are the differenced between congress and president Andrew Johnson?

Andrew Johnson wanted to restore the South to a more normal situation much faster than congress. The congress wanted to punish the former Confederate Solders. President Johnson knew the way the southern mind worked and wanted to calm the situation in the South as fast as possible. He pardoned the confederate solders. They could go back to farming without fear of losing their land. There would not be any large scale dislocations of people. That would be best for both whites and blacks. The situation would be clear for all. Congress did not care if the South had riots and burned down their own neighborhoods. They wanted the South punished. On the other hand, President Johnson did not have good back room political skills. He was going to do as he wanted and what he thought was right.


What types of books were burned in the book burning?

Out of a Berlin library containing nearly 1 million books, the Nazis specifically selected and burned 20,000 books with homosexual and/or beastiality, urine fetish and feces fetish related topics.

Related Questions

Who gave his whole library to the US after the Library of Congress burned down?

Thomas Jefferson sold his personal library to the U.S. Congress for $23,950 in 1815 to replace the collection at the Library of Congress after the library was burned down by the British in 1814.


Why was the Library of Congress burned?

Cuz the british were meanie faces


To which branch of the government does the Library of Congress belong?

It isn't part of any branch. It was established by an act of congress in 1800 when president John Adams signed a bill providing for the transfer of the seat of government from Philadelphia to the new capital of Washington. The legislation described a reference library for congress only, containing "such books as may be necessary for the use of congress and for putting up suitable apartment for containing therein". Established with 5,000 appropriated by legislation the original library was in the new capital until 1814, when the invading British set fire to the capital and burned the small library. A month later Jefferson donated his library of 6,000 books as a replacement. His library was considered one of the finest in the United States. In January 1815 congress accepted his offer and gave him 23,950 for 6,487 books and the foundation for a national library was created.


Which branch of the government does the Library of Congress belong?

It isn't part of any branch. It was established by an act of congress in 1800 when president John Adams signed a bill providing for the transfer of the seat of government from Philadelphia to the new capital of Washington. The legislation described a reference library for congress only, containing "such books as may be necessary for the use of congress and for putting up suitable apartment for containing therein". Established with 5,000 appropriated by legislation the original library was in the new capital until 1814, when the invading British set fire to the capital and burned the small library. A month later Jefferson donated his library of 6,000 books as a replacement. His library was considered one of the finest in the United States. In January 1815 congress accepted his offer and gave him 23,950 for 6,487 books and the foundation for a national library was created.


Who is collection began the Library of Congress?

The conjucutive collection


Which presidents personal library of 6487 books was purchased in 1815 to restart the Library of Congress after the orignial core collection of 3000 volumes was burned in a fire?

Thomas Jefferson's


Who donated millions of dollars toward the construction of public libraries?

Although the Library of Congress belongs to the U.S. government, it was first established as a legislative resource by Thomas Jefferson in 1800. Jefferson approved legislation that appropriated $5,000 from the government to purchase an initial 740 books and 3 maps. Jefferson created the Library of Congress during his Presidency because he believed government was best served by an informed and involved citizenry, and that there was "no subject to which a Member of Congress may not have occasion to refer." By 1814, the Library of Congress owned 3,000 books (a significant number for that era). Later that year, the British Army invaded Washington and burned the Capitol, including the books purchased during Jefferson's Presidency. In 1815, Thomas Jefferson, then retired, offered to sell his personal collection of 6,487 books to the library for $23,940, an acquisition considered to form the core of the new Library of Congress. Today, the Library of Congress is housed in the John Adams Building (1938) and the James Madison Memorial Building (1981), and is home to more than 141,847,810 items, including books, manuscripts, maps, and photographs. The library also owns the world's largest collection of legal information. In addition to functioning as a repository of knowledge, The Library of Congress is also responsible for issuing copyrights, conducting research, and writing legal research reports for Congress. The 2008 operating budget was $613,496,414, including authority to spend $50,447,565 on new acquisitions.


What are facts about the Library of Congress?

1. This year, the Library of Congress turns 210(its 2010 this year) years old.2. The collection of the Library of Congress contains more than 130 million items, which includes materials in over 460 languages.3. In 2007, the Library of Congress registered 526,378 claims to copyright.4. The Library of Congress was established in 1800 by an act of Congress, and was begun with $5,000.5. In 1814, the Library, which was then located in the Capitol Building, was destroyed when British troops burned the building and ran off with a bunch of the books.6. The library was re-established in 1815 when Thomas Jefferson offered his personal collection of 6,487 books to Congress for that purpose. (Congress paid him $23,950 for the books.)7. There have been thirteen Librarians of Congress to date. The current one is James Hadley Billington, who has held the position since 1987.8. Ainsworth Rand Spofford (6th Librarian of Congress, 1864-1897) is the one responsible for the "copyright law of 1870″ which required copyright applicants to send two copies of their work to the Library. Among other results of this law was the urgent need for a new building as they ran out of space pretty quickly.9. The Library of Congress doesn't just collect books, they also have a large collection of films, maps, sheet music, manuscripts, and sound records10. The American Memory Collections, available on the Library of Congress website, include such things as: scans of An account of the proceedings on the trial of Susan B. Anthony, on the charge of illegal voting, at the presidential election in Nov. 1872, a Map of the Antietam Battlefield from the Civil War, and a film of Annie Oakley as filmed by Edison in 1894


Which US President fled the White House before it was burned by the British?

President Madison


Who was president when the British burned down Washington Dc?

James Madison was the president at that time.


What was the name of the white house before it was burned in the War of 1812?

The president's palace, or the president's house


What is the world's biggest library called?

The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with nearly 142 million items on approximately 650 miles of bookshelves. The collections include more than 32 million books and other print materials, 3 million recordings, 12.5 million photographs, 5.3 million maps, 5.6 million pieces of sheet music and 62 million manuscripts.The Library was founded in 1800, making it the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. On August 24, 1814, British troops burned the Capitol building (where the Library was housed) and destroyed the Library's core collection of 3,000 volumes. On January 30, 1815, Congress approved the purchase of Thomas Jefferson's personal library of 6,487 books for $23,950.