Madison, Jefferson, and Establishing the World’s Largest Library

In ‘This Week in History,’ Congress finally authorized an appropriation bill to purchase a collection of books and establish the Library of Congress.

The Library of Congress building, as seen from the lawn across the street. brunocoelho/Shutterstock

On Feb. 1, 1770, the Jefferson family home caught fire and burned to the ground. Located on a 200-acre homesite in Virginia, the one-and-a-half story structure known as Shadwell was completed around 1741 and was the birthplace of Thomas Jefferson, born in 1743. Jefferson spent most of his childhood away from Shadwell, receiving his education in other parts of the British colony. When Jefferson’s father, Peter, died in 1757, the estate was bequeathed to him, though it would not come under his possession until he turned 21—the home, however, remained with his mother until her death in 1776. By the 1760s, though, Jefferson already had his sights set on constructing his own home.

His sights were rather lofty, literally and figuratively. The location of his new home would rest atop an 868-foot high mountain. Construction for what would become known as Monticello (meaning “little mountain” in Italian) began in 1769 (some sources suggest 1770). While his future home was being built, his past home was being destroyed.

The Loss of a Library

Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826). Public domain

It seems Jefferson was less grieved about losing the home itself, perhaps because he was building his own or perhaps because he had spent so little time there as a child, and more grieved about the contents lost, specifically his books. He had already begun assembling his personal library—a library that would, no doubt, have ended up in Monticello. When he arrived at the charred remains of Shadwell, he asked one of the slaves if his books had been spared. “Oh, my young master,” the slave responded, “they were all burnt; but, ah! we saved your fiddle.”

On Feb. 21, 1770, Jefferson wrote to his friend John Page, regarding the loss. “On a reasonable estimate I calculate th[e cost o]f t[he b]ooks burned to have been £200. sterling. Would to god it had been the money [;then] had it never cost me a sigh!”

Lost along with the books, save one that he had lent, was, he said, “every pa[per I] had in the world,” including notes “public or private, of business or of amusement,” legal notes, and random thoughts and ideas that “troubled my head.” He lamented, “These are gone, and ‘like the baseless fabric of a vision, Leave not a trace behind.’”

Almost immediately after the fire, Jefferson appears to have begun establishing a new library. When his friend Robert Skipwith requested he formulate a list of books for him to purchase that would cost “about five and twenty pounds sterling, or, if you think proper, to thirty pounds,” Jefferson quickly got to work. However, he said, “[I] could by no means satisfy myself with any partial choice I could make.”

The list he formulated, which consisted of nearly 150 works, divided into the categories of “fine arts,” “criticism of the fine arts,” “politicks, trade,” “religion,” “law,” “history. antient,” “history. modern,” “natural philosophy. natural history, etc.,” and “miscellaneous,” would cost, according to Jefferson, “£107.10.”

Undoubtedly, Jefferson was referencing the works in his own library, further suggesting to Skipwith that he and his wife “come to the new Rowanty, from which you may reach your hand to a library formed on a more extensive plan.” Jefferson was comparing Monticello, though still under construction, to Rowandiz, the Mount Olympos of Accadian mythology.

It would take 15 years to complete Monticello’s first phase, and during this time Jefferson’s personal life and the life of his country would experience immense change. A few short years after his letter to Skipwith, colonists took up arms against the British. In March 1776, his mother died, and less than four months later, he would write one of history’s greatest documents: the Declaration of Independence. He was a member of the Continental Congress and also served as governor of Virginia from 1779 to 1781. He wrote extensively in defense of the revolutionary cause against Britain, a cause that would witness its greatest dividends when the Treaty of Paris was signed on Sept. 3, 1783, ending the war and formally recognizing America as an independent nation.

A Literary Proposal

During this period as well, the United States of America was organized under the Articles of Confederation. The Second Continental Congress gave way to the Confederation Congress, which lasted from 1781 until 1789.

Theodorick Bland, the English-educated doctor who had served as captain of the First Troop of Virginia Cavalry during the Revolutionary War, became a member of Congress, serving from 1780 to 1783. On July 1, 1782, he proposed “a list of books to be imported for the use of the United States in Congress Assembled.” The motion was adopted and a committee of three was assembled, composed of Rev. John Witherspoon, John Lowell, and James Madison as chairman.

By November, the motion was renewed with Madison still as chair, but with two new members, Hugh Williamson and Thomas Mifflin. Although Congress was concerned with more pressing matters, such as the peace process with Britain, treaties with the Dutch and Spanish, as well as issues of finance and trade, Madison nonetheless worked to assemble a list of recommended books for Congress.

A portrait James Madison, 1783, by Charles Wilson Peale. Public Domain

According to the National Archives, Madison must have sourced his list from various resources, including his personal collection, his father’s personal library, the private libraries of Witherspoon and Virginia schoolmaster Donald Robertson, as well as “the institutional libraries of the College of New Jersey, the College of William and Mary, and the Library Company of Philadelphia.” Another source seems to have been Thomas Jefferson.

In January 1783, Jefferson, who had endured a legislative investigation into his time as Virginia governor in 1781 and the death of his wife in 1782, briefly moved to Philadelphia in anticipation of leaving for Paris to assist negotiating the Treaty of Paris. He lived in the same boarding house as Madison and the two seem most certainly to have discussed a booklist for Congress. Jefferson had been assembling a catalog of books he owned and those he wished to own. The list, which was officially titled “1783 Catalog of Books,” was 246 pages long, and organized the 2,640 books he currently possessed. These books were organized under three main categories: history, philosophy, and fine arts. Within these three categories were 46 subcategories.

On Jan. 23, 1783, Madison presented a vast catalog of books to Congress, which included, according to the National Archives, “approximately 550 titles in about 1,300 volumes.” The list was impressive, but “the books proper for the use of Congress” were not purchased. Acting “on the motion of Col. Bland” would not take place until 1800.

Establishing the Library of Congress

The Residence Act of 1790, signed by President George Washington, mandated the change of address for the nation’s capital. With a 10-year window, the capital would move from Philadelphia to the newly constructed Washington D.C. Congress had long enjoyed the various libraries in Philadelphia, but upon removing to “the permanent seat of the government of the United States,” there would be no libraries nearby.

In the final months of John Adams’s presidency, he was presented with legislation to address the problem. It was during this week in history, on April 24, 1800, that Adams authorized an appropriation of $5,000 to purchase “such books as may be necessary for the use of congress.” These books were placed inside the Capitol Building and thus established the Library of Congress.

The Library of Congress, then located in the Capitol Building in 1853. Library of Congress. Public Domain

The Election of 1800 resulted in a constitutional crisis. Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, who were assumed to be on the same presidential and vice presidential ticket, tied for most presidential votes. In February 1801, while Congress debated and voted—35 ballots in six days—on who would be president, a large selection of books were making their way to America from London. Congress had purchased 740 volumes and three maps, which established the foundation for the congressional library.

The following year, Jefferson, now president, created the position of librarian of Congress, which was to be directly appointed by the executive. It was not until 1897 that Congress would be involved in the appointment process.

Jefferson to the Rescue

Fifteenth-century books in the "Rare Book Room." Library of Congress. Public Domain

After Jefferson’s two terms in office concluded, he returned to Monticello and his personal library. Three years later and during the presidency of James Madison, the War of 1812 erupted between America and Great Britain. When the British stormed the capital city of Washington, they burned down many buildings, including the Capitol. Most of the books, maps, and notes within the Library of Congress were consumed, though several State Department officials were able salvage the most important documents, including Washington’s correspondences, the Articles of Confederation, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

After the conclusion of the war, Congress sought to reestablish its library. Jefferson offered his. His library of 6,487 books was the largest personal library in the country. Congress accepted Jefferson’s offer, paying him $23,950 for his library.

By 1881, the Library of Congress within the Capitol had run out of space for books. Five years later it was agreed that the Library of Congress should have its own building. In 1897, the Library of Congress building, located directly east of the Capitol, opened its doors.

With its “millions of books, films and video, audio recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps and manuscripts in its collections … the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world.”

The Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress. Public Domain

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