Gifts to the Nation: American Treasures of the Library of Congress

These are the gifts of generations past. They describe the exploits, strivings, accomplishments, and beliefs and attitudes of those who contributed, for better or for worse, to making us who we are as a nation. They were not given lightly – danger lurked on the high seas or in acts of treason against the King of England; continuing failures preceded ultimate success; the spark of imagination required years of work to come to fruition.

They are here, at the Library of Congress, and now on display through the Library’s Web site, for all generations, present and future. Join us as we take you on a journey through a sampling of the more than 250 items that have been selected to represent the treasures that the Library holds.

Top Treasures

Thomas Jefferson, "Original Rough Draught of the Declaration of Independence", Holograph with minor emendations by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, June 1776.

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trt001.html

George Mason and Thomas Ludwell Lee, The Virginia Declaration of Rights, Holograph manuscript, May 1776.

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trt006.html

Abraham Lincoln, First draft of the Emancipation Proclamation, Holograph document, July 22, 1862.

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trt025.html

Abraham Lincoln, "Nicolay Copy," Gettysburg Address, 1863 Holograph manuscript.

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trt034.html

Introduction to the Exhibition

The American Treasures exhibition presents more than 250 items arranged in the manner of Thomas Jefferson's own library, the seed from which the present collections grew:

Memory (History);
Reason (Philosophy, including Law, Science and Geography); and
Imagination (Fine Arts, including Architecture, Music, Literature and Sports).

Thomas Jefferson, Manuscript catalog in the hand of Nicholas Trist, [1823] bound with Catalogue of the Library of the United States, Washington: 1815.

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm067.html

Thomas Jefferson to John Trumbull, February 15, 1789, Holograph press copy,

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm033.html

Memory

Johannes Vingboons, [Map of Baja California Shown as an Island], 1639, Manuscript map.

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm101.html

Daniel A. Jenks, Pretty Camp-Rocky Mountains [1859], Graphite and ink on paper.

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm192.html

Joe Rosenthal, American Marines Raising American Flag on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, Gelatin silver print, 1945, Wide World/Associated Press.

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm023.html

Maya Ying Lin, Vietnam Veterans Memorial proposal, Mixed media on paper on board, 1981.

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm022.html

Reason

Edward H. Harriman, et al. Fourth of July at Kodiak, Alaska, 1899, "The Harriman Expedition: Chronicles and Souvenirs, May to August 1899".

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trr037.html

Felix Frankfurter, Annotated draft decree regarding Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, April 8, 1955.

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trr007.html

John T. Daniels, First Flight, December 17, 1903, Modern gelatin silver print from glass negative.

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trr019.html

Imagination

Walt Whitman, Holograph notebook, ca. 1847-1854

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/tri038.html

American Tobacco Company, Joe Tinker, John Evers, and Frank Chance, autographed cards, Color relief halftones mounted on cards, 1911.

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/tri028.html

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, "Some Enchanted Evening", South Pacific, Holograph, 1949.

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/tri031.html

Additional Links

Library of Congress - http://www.loc.gov/

Exhibitions, Library of Congress - http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/

American Treasures of the Library of Congress, Exhibitions

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/

American Memory - http://memory.loc.gov/

Virtual Programs & Services, Library of Congress - http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/

Ask A Librarian, Library of Congress - http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/

December 2007