Today in History: Armistice Day
Guest post by Meg Hixon, Project ArchivistThe First World War has long been eclipsed in American public memory, but it was, at the time, the "Great War" that affected families across the country and across the world. In honor of Veterans' Day, the successor to Armistice Day, I would like to highlight some of the lesser-known collections in the Clements Library's Manuscripts Division. The library holds a robust collection of World War I material, including diaries and soldiers' letters about...
In the News: “Exhibit Celebrates Key Stage in Emancipation Struggle”
Kevin Brown's article, "Exhibit celebrates key stage in emancipation struggle," is in this week's issue of the University Record. Co-curators Martha S. Jones and Clayton Lewis developed this exhibit, which commemorates the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Newspapers, broadsides, photographs, and letters document the effects of the proclamation and its impact on visual culture. This exhibit is a collaboration between the Law School's Program in Race, Law &...
Recent Acquisition: Vermont Historical Gazetteer
Guest post by Sarah Fitzgerald, Book Division volunteer The library has recently acquired the Vermont Historical Gazetteer, compiled by Abby Maria Hemenway. This five-volume set is a remarkable accomplishment for a 19th century woman. Hemenway's goal was to create a record of Vermont's unwritten past. Those interested in Vermont history will find rich details on all counties except her own, Windsor County, because unfortunately she died before she could complete it. Hemenway funded the...
Lecture by Martin West, “Benjamin West and the French and Indian War,” November 15, 2012
Lecture by Martin West"Benjamin West and the French and Indian War"Thursday, November 15, 2012, 4:00 p.m.Great Hall, Clements LibraryMartin West was executive director of Fort Ligonier in Pennsylvania, 1981-2011, where he curated the international exhibition, The World Ablaze: An Introduction to the Seven Years' War, and developed a permanent art gallery of sixteen original works by artists Reynolds, Ramsey, Copley, West, Peale, Pine, Penney, Van Loo and Knapton. His article, "Benjamin...
Emancipation Proclamation Video
In this YouTube video, Clements Library curator Clayton Lewis and Professor Martha Jones of the U-M Law School discuss their current exhibit, "Proclaiming Emancipation." This exhibit is now on display at the Hatcher Graduate Library in Room 100. See our current exhibits page for more information.
Today in History: War of 1812 Victories at Sea
Post by Brian Dunnigan, Associate Director and Curator of MapsMany Americans remember the War of 1812 as a naval conflict in which, as Canadian historian C.P. Stacey put it, "the pride of the Mistress of the Seas was humbled by what an imprudent Englishman had called 'a few fir-built frigates manned by a handful of bastards and outlaws.'" There were few enough. The United States entered the War of 1812 with a navy of only 14 frigates and sloops-of-war with which to oppose the 1,000 warships of...
Brownbag Lecture by Matt Dziennik: “With a Liberal Hand: Intra-continental Refugees and Foundations of Revolutionary Sovereignty, 1774-1786,” November 8, 2012
The William L. Clements LibraryBrown Bag Lecture SeriespresentsMatthew DziennikEarhart Fellow"With a Liberal Hand: Intra-continental Refugees and Foundations of Revolutionary Sovereignty, 1774-1786" Noon - 1:00 p.m.Thursday, November 8, 2012Great Hall, Clements LibraryMatthew Dziennik will discuss his work on the treatment of refugee populations by state and national governments during the Revolutionary War. Challenging the idea that the Loyalists constituted the only...
Staff Favorite: Domestic Fiction
JJ Jacobson has been Curator of American Culinary History at the Clements since 2009. She has many favorites from the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive, including cookbooks, domestic manuals, etiquette manuals, and menus. Her current favorite is Ten Dollars Enough by Catherine Owen, published in 1887. Catherine Owen was the pen name of Helen Alice Matthews Nitsch, who dispensed household advice through cookbooks, magazine articles, and serialized novels in the late 19th century. We...
Current Exhibits: The Geometry of War and Proclaiming Emancipation
Main Room of the Clements Library:The Geometry of War: Fortification Plans from 18th Century AmericaOctober 15, 2012 - February 15, 2013The 18th century was a time of intensive military activity in Europe and in the Americas. Much of this centered on fortified towns or positions. The period from the 1680s to the French Revolution has been called the “classic century of military engineering,” a time when earlier forms of artillery fortifications were perfected and frequently tested in...
Today in History: Battle of Queenston Heights Bicentennial
Post by Brian Dunnigan, Associate Director and Curator of MapsOctober 13 marks the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Queenston Heights. This significant action of the War of 1812, fought some six miles downstream from Niagara Falls, was precipitated by an invasion of Upper Canada (Ontario) U.S. regulars and New York militia under the overall command of Major General Stephen Van Rensselaer. Queenston was the first major land battle of the War of 1812 and the second invasion to be turned back...