A Great War Chief of the Three Fires Confederacy and leader of the Anishinabe people. This Chief’s actual name was Boon i wuk, which means “Thunderbirds Landing Upon the Earth.” Today we know of him as Chief Pontiac. Source: Diba Jimooyung. Published by the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan and the Ziibiwing Cultural Society. Mount Pleasant, Michigan. 2005.
During the 1760’s, Pontiac organized a large alliance of tribes throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois rise up in a war against the British.
He led the efforts that captured 8 out of 11 British Forts between May 16 – June 20, 1763, including:
- Fort Miami (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
- Fort Quiatenon (Lafayette, Indiana)
- Fort St. Joseph (Niles, Michigan)
- Fort Michilimackinac (Mackinaw City, Michigan)
- Fort Sandusky (Sandusky, Ohio)
- Fort Presque Isle (Erie, Pennsylvania)
- Fort Verango (Franklin, Pennsylvania)
- Fort Le Boeulf (Pennsylvania)
Unfortunately, his coalition was unable to capture Fort Detroit, Fort Niagra, and Fort Pitt.
In the eighteenth century, Michigan was the battleground for several conflicts between Native Americans and Europeans. Pontiac’s Rebellion, fought between 1763 and 1766, was one of the most significant of these wars. Throughout much of the 1700s, the British and the French fought over control of North America. But in 1763 Britain finally defeated France and the French surrendered control of Canada to Britain. The United Kingdom had defeated the French, but not France’s Indian allies. The British soon angered many Native Americans. Where the French had been content to trade and maintain friendly relations with the Indians, the British treated them contemptuously. They built forts in Native American territory, suspended the traditional custom of gift giving, and allowed white settlers to take Native American lands.
The Siege….
By April of 1763, many Indians felt that it was time to retaliate. A secret council was held near Detroit.
Note: In a famous council on April 28, 1763, Pontiac urged listeners to rise up against the British. (19th century engraving by Alfred Bobbett).
The Odawa chief Pontiac and other Indian leaders agreed to go to war with the British. Pontiac coordinated the plan to attack Detroit with the Ojibwe, Pottawatomie, Wyandot, and other Indian groups. The coalition attacked Fort Detroit on May 7, 1763, but were unable to defeat the garrison, despite beseiging the fort for much of the year. Nine of the eleven forts they attacked fell.
What made the difference? Fortunately for the besieged, at the outbreak of hostilities, the schooner Huron and the sloop Michigan, the first British ships built on Lake Erie, were anchored in front of the fort and their guns were able to keep the Indians at bay on the river side. In addition, even though the Indians were able to capture one convoy of bateaus at Point Pelee and a few others on the Detroit River, the Huron and the Michigan were able to keep the supply lines open and provide protection for another convoy of bateaus. Without any assistance from the French, Pontiac was forced to give up his siege of Detroit by the end of October when the French refused to come to his aid.
The following year, the British sent an army into Ohio and another into the Great Lakes region. The war continued, but in 1766 Pontiac accepted a peace treaty and was pardoned by the British. Pontiac’s revolt failed to defeat the British Empire, but it did achieve many goals important to Native Americans. The British outlawed new white settlement west of the Appalachian ridge and reinstated the practice of gift giving. Pontiac and the other Native Americans who had fought for their homes and cultures had brought a period of stability and peace to the region.
For more information, see Nathanial Hale, Pontiac’s War: the Great Indian Uprising against the English in 1763, Wynnewood, PA, Hale House, 1973, available at the Central Michigan University Library.
Michigan Historical Calendar, courtesy of the Clarke Historical Library at Central Michigan University.
Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit or Fort Detroit
Additional Sources:
The siege of Detroit in 1763: the Journal of Pontiac’s Conspiracy, and John Rutherfurd’s Narrative of a captivity / Milo Quaife. Also available online to the MSU community.
Pontiac’s War : its causes, course, and consequences / Richard Middleton. New York : Routledge, c2007.
War under heaven : Pontiac, the Indian Nations & the British Empire / Gregory Evans Dowd. Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002.
Ernest J. Lajeunesse, The Windsor Border Region: Canada’s Southernmost Frontier (A Collection of Documents). Toronto: The Champlain Society.
Lyman James Briggs (May 7, 1874 – March 25, 1963) was an American engineer, physicist and administrator. He was a distinguished director of the National Bureau of Standards during the Great Depression and chairman of the Uranium Committee before America entered the Second World War. The Lyman Briggs College at Michigan State University is named in his honor.
Briggs was born on a farm in Assyria, Michigan, near Battle Creek. He was the eldest of two brothers in a family that descended from Clement Briggs, who arrived in America in 1621 on the Fortune (Plymouth Colony ship), the first ship to follow the Mayflower. He grew up in an outdoor life with duties to attend such as would be found on an active farm in the late 19th century. He went to the
Hailing from humble farming origins, Lyman Briggs entered Michigan Agricultural College at the age of 15. Without any secondary education prior to testing into the university, few would believe that Briggs would become one of the nation’s leading multi-disciplinary scientists. Briggs went on to graduate with a degree in agriculture, but soon discovered a passion for physics.
These core interests lead Briggs to the forefront of innovation in many scientific fields. While leading the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Physics Laboratory, Briggs founded the science of soil physics, a discipline based on his extensive background in ecology, biology and physics.
Eventually, Briggs’ expertise in physics placed him on the government’s radar. In October 1939, shortly after the discovery of uranium fission, he was called upon to lead a covert operation called the Uranium Committee. President Franklin Roosevelt entrusted Briggs with discovering the potential for atomic power. Despite personal adversity and a lack of funding, Briggs’ research went on to become the foundation of the Manhattan Project. In recognition of his contributions to the war effort, Briggs was awarded the Medal of Merit by President Truman in 1945.
Having lived a life full of discovery and never ending quest for answers, it is no surprise that Michigan State University named a college in his honor, a fitting tribute for a man who accomplished so much.
Sources:
Atomic Spartan Exceeds Expectations. Homecoming Headlines
Believe it or not, but in 2008, divers explored the wreck of the Lusitania, situated eight miles off the coast of Ireland. On board, the divers found approximately four million U.S.-made Remington .303 bullets. The discovery supports the German’s long-held belief that the Lusitania was being used to transport war materials. The find also supports the theory that it was the explosion of munitions on board that caused the second explosion on the Lusitania.
Sources:
Jennifer Rosenberg, “Sinking of the Lusitania”, ThoughtCo.com
Jon Backus, Collections up Close: Object of the Week, May 7, 2013.
Sophie Lyons spent the last several years of her life preaching that crime doesn’t pay, but those sifting through the contents of her safe-deposit box shortly after she died were hard-pressed to believe it. Trustees of her estate found a royal stash of brooches, rings, watches, earrings, stickpins, and other pieces of jewelry — all encrusted with rubies, pearls, emeralds, and other gems fit for a monarch’s crown. There was a giant starburst brooch with an 8-carat stone in the center, a 12-carat diamond ring, and a blazing diamond cross. It was said that the reformed “Queen of the Underworld” had amassed as much as $1 million through her activities, both legal and otherwise.
Source : Richard Bak, “From Rogue to Reformer”, Hour Detroit, November 2009.
Hank Greenberg wanted to be able to play the 1941 season before being inducted. He was the reigning American League MVP and the highest paid ballplayer at the time. He knew he had a limited time to make his living in baseball and wanted to be able to maximize his earning potential. When that desire went public, he touched off a national debate that pitted an individual’s right to pursue the American dream in a capitalist society against one’s patriotic duty to answer the call to military service. It also unleashed a barrage of anti-Semitic remarks hurled Greenberg’s way along with accusations that he was a slacker. The controversy got pushed to a higher level when a physician declared Hank’s flat feet rendered him unfit to serve in combat. Though Hank had made no secret about his flat feet, Americans were incredulous that a man could run the bases but not march in the Army. Newspapers across the country spilled plenty of ink on the subject.
Hank’s draft board had another doctor examine Greenberg and, to no surprise, that physician classified him 1-A, fit for active duty. Hank did not resist and was inducted May 7, 1941. Life magazine, the nation’s most popular magazine of the day, devoted a three-page spread to Hank’s induction, and newsreels carried footage of him being outfitted for his uniform, transported to his base and meeting the boys there. It was a major news event.
After Hank received an honorable discharge on December 5, 1941, he was eager to resume his baseball career. Two days later, Pearl Harbor was attacked. “We’re in trouble,” Hank told his friends and re-enlisted. He knew it would be a long war and that his decision likely meant he would never play professional baseball again, but he was willing to make the sacrifice for his country when it needed him.
The move won him widespread admiration, elevated his status from a baseball star to a true American hero, and completed his assimilation from immigrant son to complete citizen.
Taylor Spink praised Greenberg in The Sporting News for his willingness to protect the ideals of American democracy that had allowed for the son of Romanian immigrants to achieve success. Greenberg had become more than a Hebrew star; he had become a national hero who embodied American ideals. Spink gave credit to Hugh Mulcahy for being the first major league ballplayer drafted while the country was still neutral and to Bob Feller for being the first to enlist after the declaration of war. “But the decision announced last week by Hank Greenberg gave the game and the nation a special thrill,” Spink wrote in his editorial. He noted that Hank could have stayed home, said he had already done his bit, but he decided to serve again. “Fans of America, and all baseball, salute him for that decision.”
The New York chapter of the Baseball Writers saluted Greenberg with a special award for his “extraordinary service to baseball” at its annual dinner. “Greenberg’s prompt reenlistment after Pearl harbor constitutes a great favor to baseball,” Tom Meany explained in his New York PM column. “All the pious mouthings of the magnates about In the first month of Robinson’s rookie season, catchers had spat on his shoes, pitchers building up public morale via baseball fail to fool the public. When the highest-paid ballplayer in America voluntarily joins the armed forces, however, it indicates to the fans that ball players are as patriotic as any other profession.”
Bruce Markusen, “New book sheds light on Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg”, Michigan Athletic Company, June 8, 2013.
Bruce Markuson, “Greenberg gave encouragement to Jackie Robinson”, Michigan Athletic Company, June 12, 2013.
Hank Greenberg : the hero who didn’t want to be one / Mark Kurlansky. New Haven [Conn.] : Yale University Press, c2011.
Hank Greenberg, the story of my life / edited and with an introduction by Ira Berkow. New York : Times Books, c1989.
For more information, see Hank Greenberg: The Hero of Heroes (March 2013)
When Michigan State University students decided to skip classes and strike over the war in Vietnam on May 7, 1970, MSU President Clifton Wharton and Governor Milliken did their best to avoid a repeat of the Kent State University fiasco when four students were killed by the Ohio National Guard. Although the students occupied many buildings on campus, and at one point it was estimated that 15% of the student body was skipping classes, as long as other students were allowed to attend classes, there were no repercussions until May 20th, when President Wharton called in State Police to arrest 127 students, ending the strike.
Sources :
Michigan Every Day
MSU Library Special Collections American Radicalism Vertical File
On May 7, 1998, Daimler Benz and Chrysler Corporation announced their “merger of equals.” The value of the combined automotive companies of $92 billion at the time of the merger was historic — the largest industrial coupling ever.
On August 3, 2007, DaimlerChrysler completed the sale of Chrysler Group to Cerberus Capital Management.
Source : Detroit Historical Society Facebook Page and Daimler AG wikipedia page.
On May 8, 1820, the Michigan Territorial legislature imposed the first Michigan tax on personal property and land. The sheriff could arrest anyone who did not pay.
Source : Historical Society of Michigan Calendar
Norman Thomas “Turkey” Stearnes (May 8, 1901 – September 4, 1979) was an African American outfielder in the Negro leagues, who played most of his prime with the Detroit Stars. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.
Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Stearnes acquired his nickname at an early age from his unusual running style. He began his career in professional baseball in 1920 with the Nashville Giants, then played for the Detroit Stars, beginning in 1923. In 1931, the Stars failed to pay Stearnes his salary because of the Great Depression, so he moved from team to team for the remainder of his career, retiring in 1942 as a member of the Kansas City Monarchs.
Stearnes is considered by some as one of the great all-around players in the history of baseball, but because of his race and his quiet personality, he never received the recognition that many believe he deserved. He batted over .400 three times and led the Negro leagues in home runs seven times. He is credited with 176 home runs in his Negro league career, the all-time Negro league record, and 50 more than second-place Mule Suttles. Since Negro league seasons were very short, sometimes lasting fewer than 30 games, it is unclear how many home runs Stearnes might have hit in a 154-game major league season. The 175-pound Stearnes was a fast baserunner despite his awkward-looking running form, and was one of the best outfielders of his generation. In 2001, writer Bill James ranked Stearnes as the 25th greatest baseball player of all-time and the best left fielder in the Negro leagues.
Stearnes’ known career statistics include a .344 batting average, 176 home runs, 750 games, and a .621 slugging percentage.
Other work and later life
Despite his accomplishments, Stearnes had to work winters in Detroit’s auto plants to survive, primarily in a factory owned by Walter Briggs, who was the owner of the Detroit Tigers, a team he couldn’t play for because of his skin color.
Stearnes was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000, 21 years after his death in Detroit. His wife, Nettie Mae, a schoolteacher, who was instrumental in her husband’s posthumous induction, died in 2014.
A plaque in Stearnes’ honor is on display outside the centerfield gate at the Tigers’ home field, Comerica Park.
Photo of Stearnes shortly before his death.
Sources:
Norman Thomas “Turkey” Stearnes wikipedia entry.
Negro Leagues Basebal eMuseum Turkey Stearnes entry
James A. Riley, The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues, New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1994.
Dave Mesrey, “New photos of Negro Leagues legend Turkey Stearnes discovered nearly 40 years after his death“, The Official Blog of Historic Hamtramck Stadium, May 8, 2018.
Related:
Christine Ferretti, “Historic Hamtramck Stadium’s off-season may finally end“, Detroit News, December 30, 2016. Besides profiling one of the few remaining baseball parks where Negro League Baseball played, it ncludes link to “Remembering Negro Leagues Baseball”.
On a pleasant spring day in Lansing, on May 8, 1913, then-Governor Woodbridge Ferris struck a blow for history. He signed a bill creating the Michigan Historical Commission.
The commission was originally autonomous. It was later under the Secretary of State, the now-defunct History Arts and Libraries department and is now housed under the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Today, the current commissioners are celebrating the commission’s 100th anniversary. Governor Ferris is long forgotten and the original commissioners are all long dead.
But the commission is still hanging in there, trying to make us conscious of our state’s fascinating past. They are the folks, by the way, behind the Michigan History magazine and the Michigan Historical Marker Program. Nearly everyone has seen some of the more than 1,700 green and gold markers in front of buildings from the old Model T plant in Highland Park to the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.
In addition to placing historical markers throughout the state, the MHC is also focused on some larger projects, as well. In Detroit, the MHC is planning a relocation and renovation of the former home of Ulysses S. Grant, who was stationed in Detroit during the Civil War. After the Civil War, Grant would become a President of the United States. Other acitivities include helping revitalize the Detroit Capitol Park, a tiny urban space where the state’s first capitol was, and where today rest the often-moved bones of Stevens T. Mason, our state’s first governor, and helping the state celebrate it’s sesquicentennial.
For more information, see Jim Lessenberry, Commentary: Celebrating a century”, Michigan Radio, May 8, 2013.
“Historical Commission Turns 100”, Inside MIRS Today, May 8, 2013.