The Early Republic & Westward Expansion: 1789-1861
George Washington
Term: 1789-1797, no political party
James Rennell. Memoir of a Map of Hindoostan; or the Mogul Empire. London: Printed by W. Bulmer and Co. for the Author, 1793.
Like so many others, many authors held George Washington in high regard and sent him books they had written, like this copy of Memoir of a Map of Hindoostan, as tokens of their admiration. Washington kept this book in his library and signed it on the title page.
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George Washington
Term: 1789-1797, no political party
Constantia [Judith Sargent Murray]. The Gleaner: A Miscellaneous Production, volume 1. Boston: I. Thomas and E. T. Andrews, 1798.
Along with Martha Washington, John Adams, Henry Knox, and John Hancock, George Washington subscribed to early American feminist Judith Sargent Murray’s The Gleaner, which covered a broad range of topics relating to the new republic. Murray shared many of Washington’s democratic ideals and admired “the retiring Chief” greatly. That Washington kept this book, which bears his ownership inscription on the title page, in his library evidences that he admired her, too.
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John Adams
Term: 1797-1801, Democrat-Republican Party
John Adams [as “An American Citizen”]. The Discourses of Davila. A Series of Papers, on Political History. Written in the Year 1790, and Published in the Gazette of the United States. Boston: Printed by Russell and Cutler, 1805.
John Adams wrote this book in 1790. It was published shortly after he returned from Britain. He listed “An American Citizen” as the author of his book because he wanted to remain anonymous and didn’t want to receive any praise. Discourses on Davila is a series of papers that discuss political philosophy from a statesman’s perspective. Adams presented this copy to Ward Nicholas Boylston, his cousin and a benefactor of Harvard University.
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Thomas Jefferson
Term: 1801-1809, Democrat-Republican Party
Homer. [Iliad.] Ομηρου Ιλιας, και Οδυσσεια, id est, Homeri Ilias & Odyssea: latine ad verbum expositae, [volume 1]. [Geneva]: Παρα Ι. Κρισπινω [Crispinus], 1570.
Thomas Jefferson’s copy of Homer’s Iliad was published during the Renaissance and became part of his library at Monticello. Greek and Latin were important parts of Jefferson’s education and influenced his thought and the language he used.
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Thomas Jefferson
Term: 1801-1809, Democrat-Republican Party
Maximilien de Béthune, duc de Sully. Mémoires de Maximilien de Bethune, Duc de Sully, Principal Ministre de Henri Le Grand. Tome IV. À Londres [but Paris?], 1767.
Thomas Jefferson wrote secret ownership marks in the books he kept in his library, including this volume of Sully’s Memoirs in French. In small handwriting, he wrote "T." next to signature I, and he wrote "I." next to signature T. Printers skip the letter J, which was not part of the Latin alphabet, so this was his way of writing his initials "T.J."
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James Madison
Term: 1809-1817, Democratic-Republican Party
[James Harris, First Earl of Malemsbury]. An Introduction to the History of the Dutch Republic, for the Last Ten Years, Reckoning from the Year 1777. London: G. Kearsley, 1788.
This book was James Madison’s personal copy and was signed by him. One reason that he was reading about other republics was to get an idea of how their countries and governments were run. The Netherlands’ government influenced Madison and is the subject of the 20th Federalist Paper.
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James Monroe
Term: 1817-1825, Democratic-Republican Party
[Carl Linnaeus] Sir Charles Linne. A General System of Nature, Through the Three Grand Kingdoms of Animals, Vegetables, and Minerals, Systematically Divided. . . . Mineral Kingdom. Life, Dictionary &c. London: Printed for Lackington, Allen, and Co., 1805.
Carl Linnaeus’ Systema Natura, or A General System of Nature, was a major work of Enlightenment science. This copy of William Turton’s English translation was in James Monroe’s library and contains his bookplate.
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John Quincy Adams
Term: 1825-1829, Democratic-Republican Party
John Quincy Adams. Oration on the Life and Character of Gilbert Motier de LaFayette, Delivered at the Request of Both Houses of the Congress of the United States, Before Them, in the House of Representatives at Washington, on the 31st December 1834. Washington: Printed by Gales and Seaton, 1835.
Oration on the life and character of Gilbert Motier de LaFayette is about the French general who helped the United States in the Revolutionary War. After LaFayette’s death in 1834, John Quincy Adams memorialized him with this eulogy before a joint session of Congress. Charles G. Ferris, the American lawyer and politician to whom Adams gave (and signed) this copy of the speech, was a US representative from New York who served two consecutive terms.
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Andrew Jackson
Term: 1829-1837, Democratic Party
George Washington. Washington’s Farewell Address, to the People of the United States: Published in September, A. D. 1796. Harrisburg, PA: Printed by Packer, 1838.
Andrew Jackson owned few books, but he thought highly of George Washington’s farewell address and referred to it in his own final speech as president, saying: “The lessons contained in this invaluable legacy of Washington to his countrymen should be cherished in the heart of every citizen to the latest generation.”
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Andrew Jackson
Term: 1829-1837, Democratic Party
[John Overton]. A Vindication of the Measures of the President and His Commanding Generals, in the Commencement and Termination of the Seminole War. By a Citizen of the State of Tennessee. Washington: Gales & Seaton, 1819.
In 1817, Andrew Jackson, then a general, led an invasion into the Spanish-controlled Seminole territory of Florida. This action, which sparked the First Seminole War, was a highly controversial one, and Congress debated resolutions condemning Jackson for his conduct. John Overton, a friend of Jackson’s and his successor on the Tennessee Supreme Court, authored this anonymous defense of Jackson’s extreme actions. This is Jackson’s copy and bears his signature on the title page.
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Martin Van Buren
Term: 1837-1841, Democratic Party
The Naval Temple: Containing a Complete History of the Battles Fought by the Navy of the United States. Boston: Barber Badger, 1816.
Martin Van Buren and his son Abraham both owned and read this book, The Naval Temple: Containing a Complete History of the Battles Fought by the Navy of the United States. It shows all of the battles that the US Navy was involved in through the conclusion of the War of 1812 and the Second Barbary War.
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William Henry Harrison
Term: 1841, Whig Party
Caleb Atwater. A History of the State of Ohio, Natural and Civil. Cincinnati: Stereotyped by Glezen & Shepard, [1838].
Books from William Henry Harrison’s library are scarce, probably because his widow clipped his signature out of his books to give to autograph collectors. This book, the first full-length history of the state of Ohio, was a gift from Harrison to W. H. Garrard, a resident of Shelby County. He may have been a military officer who served under Harrison during the War of 1812.
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John Tyler
Term: 1841-1845, Whig Party
Howard Stansbury. Exploration and Survey of the Valley of the Great Salt Lake of Utah, Including a Reconnoissance of a New Route through the Rocky Mountains. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Grambo, & Co., 1852.
This book, John Tyler’s copy of Exploration and Survey of the Great Salt Lake of Utah, evidences a major aspect of Tyler’s policy: westward expansion. As president, Tyler signed the “Log Cabin Bill,” which allowed settlers to claim up to 160 acres of land with deferred payment before it was offered for public sale, thereby accelerating the expansion process.
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James K. Polk
Term: 1845-1849, Democratic Party
Register of Debates in Congress, Comprising the Leading Debates and Incidents of the Second Session of the Twentieth Congress: Together with an Appendix, Containing the Important State Papers and Public Documents, and Laws Enacted During the Sessions: With a Copious Index to the Whole. Volume V. Washington: Gales and Seaton, 1830.
Register of Debates in Congress is a record of Congress’s activities during James K. Polk’s tenure, and this is his personal copy, with his ownership signature on the title page.
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Zachary Taylor
Term: 1849-1850, Whig Party
Jabez D. Hammond. Life and Times of Silas Wright, Late Governor of the State of New York. Syracuse: Hall & Dickson, 1848.
The majority of Zachary Taylor’s library was destroyed or disbursed when his son’s Louisiana sugarcane plantation was plundered by Northern troops during the Civil War, and, accordingly, books from his collection are scarce. The subject of this book, Silas Wright, had defeated Taylor’s running mate, Millard Fillmore, for the governorship of New York in 1844, and the biographer, Jabez D. Hammond, was a prominent abolitionist.
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Millard Fillmore
Term: 1850-1853, Whig Party
Morris Thomas (editor). Indian Antiquities, or, Dissertations, Relative to the Ancient Geographical Divisions... Vol. IV. In Which the Hebrew Trinity and the Oriental Triads of Deity Are Extensively Investigated. London: Printed, for the Author, by H.L. Galabin, 1800.
Indian Antiquities explores iconography and ideology in ancient Egypt and the Near East. Millard Fillmore’s interest in the book may have related to his attachment to anti-Masonic theories.
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Franklin Pierce
Term: 1853-1857, Democratic Party
Nathaniel Hawthorne. Our Old Home: A Series of English Sketches. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1863.
Nathaniel Hawthorne and Franklin Pierce became close friends during their years at Bowdoin College, and their friendship stayed strong throughout Pierce’s term. Hawthorne gifted and inscribed this copy of Our Old Home, a book about the lives of people in England from his personal diary entries as an American consul, to the president. Hawthorne also wrote Pierce’s campaign biography.
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James Buchanan
Term: 1857-1861, Democratic Party
[Edward] Cullen. Isthmus of Darien Ship Canal; with a Full History of the Scotch Colony of Darien, Several Maps, Views of the Country, and Original Documents. London: Effingham Wilson, 1853.
In 1853, Edward Cullen presented James Buchanan, then an ambassador to England, with this book proposing a marine passage through Panama (also known as the Isthmus of Darien), probably in hopes of securing his support for the project. However, the United States did not begin work on the Panama Canal until more than 50 years later.
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