Imagine your new country is now 40 years old, but still looking to Europe for its cultural heritage. The Columbian Institute was organized at Washington, D.C., in 1816 for the purpose of reducing the United States' dependence on a purely European cultural heritage. A number of notable American figures including Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy and his son John Quincy Adams participated in the Institute's straightforward approach - use correspondence, exchanges and a program of publication to encourage the diffusion of information about agriculture, manufacturing, and natural resources. In 1818, it was incorporated by Congress and lasted 20 years when it collapsed and was eventually absorbed by the National Institute in 1841.
Join other digital volunteers in describing this set of historic correspondence. There are more than 100 letters to choose from, so scroll to the right or down to see more correspondence.
imagine your new country is now 40 years old, but still looking to Europe for its cultural heritage. The Columbian Institute was organized at Washington, D.C., in 1816 for the purpose of reducing the United States' dependence on a purely European cultural heritage. A number of notable American figures including Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy and his son John Quincy Adams participated in the Institute's straightforward approach - use correspondence, exchanges and a program of publication to encourage the diffusion of information about agriculture, manufacturing, and natural resources. In 1818, it was incorporated by Congress and lasted 20 years when it collapsed and was eventually absorbed by the National Institute in 1841.
Join other digital volunteers in describing this set of historic correspondence. There are more than 100 letters to choose from, so scroll to the right or down to see more correspondence.
The Columbian Institute was organized at Washington, D.C., in 1816, originally as the Metropolitan Society, for the purpose of reducing the United States' dependence on a purely European cultural heritage. Its principal goal was utilitarian; it concentrated on encouraging the diffusion of information about agriculture, manufacturing, and natural resources, mainly through correspondence, exchanges, and a program of publication. The Society became the Columbian Institute for the Promotion of the Arts and Sciences later in 1816, and in 1818 was incorporated by Congress under that name. Despite several reorganizations and other attempts to keep the Institute alive, it collapsed in 1838 and was absorbed by the National Institute in 1841.
