Episode 1 of 3
Act of Congress establishing the library
- When
- April 24, 1800
- Where
- Washington, D.C.
John Adams signed an act on April 24, 1800, appropriating $5,000 to purchase books and fit up a suitable apartment.
On April 24, 1800, the Library of Congress was established when John Adams, the nation's second president, signed an act of Congress. The legislation appropriated $5,000 "for the purchase of such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress...and for fitting up a suitable apartment for containing them."
Sources
- Library of Congress Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-23
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.