In the midst of the War of 1812, British troops invaded Washington DC and set fire to the new Capitol building in August of 1814. At the time, the Library of Congress was located in the Capital. The fires completely destroyed the small collection and the interior of the building due to the fact that the collection was held in "a large, heavily timbered room" (Martin). Former U.S. president, Thomas Jefferson, offered to sell his entire collection of books to the library to start a new collection. Many speculate that Jefferson was so willing to sell his collection because he was desperate for money.

In January of the next year, Congress accepted Jefferson's offer and paid approximately $23,950 for his collection of books, 6,487 in total, on an ecclectic range of topics. Many of the books were purchased during Jefferson's trips to Europe and the subject matter has helped Jefferson's legacy live on. According to the Library of Congress website, "The Jeffersonian concept of universality, the belief that all subjects are important to the library of the American legislature, is the philosophy and rationale behind the comprehensive collecting policies of today's Library of Congress."

Sources:

About the Library. http://www.loc.gov/about/history/

Martin, John. "The British Are Coming Historian Anthony Pitch Describes Washington Ablaze." http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9809/pitch.html

The World's Greatest Library.

http://www.americanheritage.com/places/articles/web/20060424-library-congress-washington-dc-elbridge-gerry-congress-thomas-jefferson-monticello-ainsworth-spofford-rutherford-hayes.shtml

By Katie K.