In March, 1775, when Edmund Burke addressed the English House of Commons, the affairs in America had reached a crisis point. Attempts to keep the Colonies under control were failing, and failing in a big way. Burke decided to offer a plan to resolve the growing discontent in the Colonies in a way he hoped would be fair to all concerned. His objective was to maintain peace by offering concessions, and it would take quite a sales job to get...
Among the hundreds of editorials and speeches housed in the Black Abolitionist archive are several audio interpretations recorded by volunteers. These audio recordings offer a unique perspective on the published work of those who worked so hard for freedom for the enslaved men, women, and children during the almost 300 year history of slavery in this country. Most of these names are lost to history, only the more influential of these abolitionists are included in our history books. The Black Abolitionist Archive in our digital special collections, hopes to change that by introducing visitors to this important collection to those whose lives made an important historical difference to the way this country understands what it means to be free. ...
The 1965 Tower Yearbook begins with an aerial view of the campus. Spending a few minutes on the two images offered here, allows visitors an amazing perspective on how much of the campus has changed over the past 50 years. It’s equally amazing, however, to notice in these images the things that haven’t seemed to change during this time....
No one is really sure what motivated the hand that fired the gun that started the first world war in 1914. The bullets, for sure, found their targets in June of that year in Sarajevo when Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, along with his wife, Sophie, were assassinated. The events leading up to this action, however, began years before around 1871 (according to a timeline found on the PBS web site). Changes in the ruling centers of countries like Germany, Russia, and Great Britain seemed to trip a line of political dominoes that started falling into place from this point in the late 1800s to the firing of that gun in 1914. Europe seemed unsettled; the relationships between dominant countries seemed tenuous. Surely the atmosphere that hinted of the war to come was felt everywhere as the world entered its new century....
When Herman J. Muller, S. J. left this world in 2007, at the age of 98, he had been a devoted and much admired Jesuit priest for over 65 years. He left a distinguished legacy which included a devotion to history, teaching, student development, and the Detroit Titans Athletic teams. It was this devotion that urged him to write what has become the official history of the University of Detroit since 1877, and we are proud to include his work in our digital archives....
In an editorial published in the the Weekly Anglo-African newspaper on March 9, 1861, there’s a review of a recent book (titled, American slavery distinguished from the slavery of English theorists, and justified by the law of nature) on the defining of slavery and of slaves as human beings. The writer of this article compares this recent publication with another book published by John H. Van Evrie (another pro-slavery writer) about the same time. The focus is on the question of whether a slave owner has the right to take the life of a slave when he chooses. And this question comes down to the definition of slavery itself....
When the 1918 edition of the Tamarack was published in June of that year, the first few pages held more advertising than content. Slowly over time, ads had gone from simple product mentions at the end of each issues to full page graphics at the beginning. It was obvious the Tamarack’s days were numbered. Even the tone of the content had changed. The early literary volumes filled with poetry and prose were now offering a more somber tone, concentrating more...
If you love history, or even if you just want to know more about the university, the University Histories collection in our digital archives offers a great resource. This archive leads visitors on a journey through time from the humble initial foundation work of dedicated men and women, to the distinguished center of education UDM is today....
William Wells Brown was unique among Black Abolitionists. That he was of mixed blood, tracing his maternal grandfather to a famous name (Daniel Boone), was not too unusual for his time. He was also an escaped slave, which was also not that unusual for many Black Abolitionists. But unlike many who devoted their lives to fighting this unjust institution, he was a self-educated writer, lecturer, and historian who became the first African American to publish a novel....
In March, 1827, Freedom’s Journal, the first black-owned and operated newspaper was established with the goal of reaching the free black population in the northeastern part of the U.S. A speech (delivered in July, 1830) by one of its founders, Peter Williams, is among some of the earliest speeches held in the Black Abolitionist archive.
Soon, other black-owned newspapers followed. Among these was Frederick Douglass’ Paper (which had evolved from his previous newspapers), and among the editors of this paper was teacher, writer, and Black Abolitionist, William J. Watkins....
