Today in History: Fort Mackinac Captured by British
Post by Brian L. Dunnigan, Associate Director and Curator of MapsEarly in the morning of July 17, 1812, the residents of Mackinac Island awoke to pounding on their doors. A group of fellow citizens, led by local militia captain Michael Dousman, told everyone that war had been declared and, unbeknownst to the 61-man US garrison in Fort Mackinac, 600 British soldiers, Canadian voyageurs, and Indian warriors had landed on the island. The British had detained Dousman the day before and, after he...
Today in History: Hull’s Proclamation
[From the Clements Library Collections]On July 12, 1812, Brigadier General William Hull initiated the first military campaign of the War of 1812, calling for--and attempting--an invasion of Canada. Unfortunately for Hull, it was an utter disaster--his assumption that Canadians would side with American forces against the British proved terribly wrong, and his rather arrogant proclamation to Canadians that they would "be emancipated from Tyranny and oppression and restored to the dignified...
In the News: Murder Most Foul in the University Record
The University Record interviewed our director, Kevin Graffagnino, about The Clements Library's current exhibit and the endless variety of and fascination with murder in America. Read the article above or watch Kevin introduce the exhibit below.Murder Most Foul: Homicide in Early America is open through October 2nd in our main room. Current hours are 1 pm - 4:45 pm Monday through Thursday.
Brownbag Lecture by Karen Marrero, “Independent Nations and Neutral Powers: Stories of Emerging Identities in the Early 19th-Century Midwest,” July 12, 2012
Clements Brown Bag Lecture Seriesis Proud to IntroduceKaren Marrero2012 Earhart Fellow in American History"Independent Nations and Neutral Powers: Stories of Emerging Identities in the Early 19th-Century Midwest"Noon - 1:00 p.m.Thursday, July 12, 2012Great Hall, Clements LibraryKaren will discuss her current project, which examines the construction of national identities at the U.S./Canadian border in the Midwest in the period following the War of 1812 until the mid-nineteenth century....
From the Stacks: Manuscript Copy of the Declaration of Independence
Guest post by Esti Brennan, Social Media Intern[First page of the manuscript draft. George Sackville Germain Papers, Clements Library.]In celebration of Independence Day, the Clements Library presents this manuscript copy of the Declaration of Independence, from the papers of George Sackville Germain. Surprisingly, this document is not part of our American manuscript collections, as Germain was a British Lord and served as a colonial secretary for his country. According to a 1959 exhibit...
Civil War Sesquicentennial: Wartime Photography
Guest post by Esti Brennan, Social Media Intern[Mathew Brady, autographed 'Carte de Visite' portrait of General George B. McClellan, circa 1862. From the Clements Library collection.]Photographs of the Civil War, though a poignant and engaging window into the past, were created with very different goals and standards than those upheld by today's wartime photographers. The rise of cheaply reproducible paper-based photo printing in the 1860s allowed commercial photographers to produce...
In the News: Clements in the Michigan Muse
The latest edition of the Michigan Muse, published by the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, features a collection of beautiful cover art from the Clements collection of historical sheet music in its cover story. The story discusses the University of Michigan's role in helping to produce the revised, updated, and expanded version of The New Grove Dictionary of American Music.
June 24th: Michigan Log Cabin Day
Guest post by Esti Brennan, Social Media Intern[Unknown Artist, "Log Cabin With Horses and Tree Stumps." Clements Library Graphics Division, Prints--Original Drawings, P-1604.9]Currently, Michigan is the only state to have an official holiday recognizing the log cabin, residence of choice for centuries of discerning settlers on various United States frontiers. Though many types of log cabins have existed in Europe and the Americas, the iconic image of a rough-hewn cabin in the woods persists...
From the Stacks: Wartime Cookery
Guest post by Esti Brennan, Social Media Intern[General Mills, War Work: A Daybook for the Home (Minneapolis, 1942).]Rationing is a common practice in wartime, meant to ensure that the country's military is kept well-supplied without unduly depriving those civilians who can't afford high-demand items back home. In some cases, rationing covers materials with obvious military uses, such as rubber tires and shoe soles, parachute silk, fuel, and automobile parts. In others, the focus is on...
Bicentennial of the War of 1812
Guest post by Esti Brennan, Social Media Intern["Constitution and Java, December 29th, 1812." Oil on canvas by Nicholas Pocock.]Two hundred years ago today, the United States declared war on the United Kingdom, initiating a conflict sometimes known as "the second American Revolution." Though there were many causes of the war, one of the main points of conflict between the two countries was the impressment of thousands of American sailors into the British Navy, which was already...