The map will further enrich the treasure-trove of Detroit history held at the Clements, which is home to one of the most comprehensive collections of early American history in the world. The Clements holds several dozen plans of the town of Detroit, charting its growth from the early 18th century until 1900.

Detroit is the birthplace of the University of Michigan where it was founded 1817 as the Catholepistemiad or University of Michigania. At that time, Detroit was the capital of the Michigan Territory. In 1837, the Michigan Territory became the State of Michigan, and the University of Michigan moved to Ann Arbor in the original 40-acre parcel that is our current Diag.

“I think we’re living in a very important moment. On the one hand, we’re poised for positive change with incredible energy to make our criminal justice system more just, and nowhere are we seeing that more than in Detroit.”

~ Heather Ann Thompson

The free, searchable database contains more than 100 years of digital copies of the Detroit Jewish Chronicle and the Detroit Jewish News.

Reynolds Farley started teaching urban sociology in 1967, the same year of the Detroit riots.

Professor Tiya Miles and a team of students have spent two years researching the history of slavery in Detroit, mapping the locations and lives of slaves and former slaves and reclaiming an essential part of the city’s history.