Jasper Francis Cropsey, The University of Michigan, 1853 (Jasper Francis Cropsey visual materials, HS1155)
A Gateway to the
History of U-M
All the resources you need to begin exploring
U-M's past.
Enter one or more keywords to search
About History of U-M
The history of the University of Michigan is filled with rich and complex stories of the people, events, places, and movements that have shaped the university we know today.
This website serves as a portal to a range of resources stretching over 200 years of the university’s history and across the Flint, Dearborn, and Ann Arbor campuses and Michigan Medicine. These resources were produced by scholars, students, faculty, staff, journalists, librarians, alums, neighbors, and more.
Both the deeply expert and the simply curious are invited to explore the site and search or browse the many completed and ongoing projects on the history of U-M collected here. The site also includes the first comprehensive database of published histories of U-M, ranging from full-length books to shorter articles and essays on a host of subjects.
Begin searching the university’s past through the Search page, or visit our About page to learn more about this site.
Featured Projects on U-M's History
Upper left: Mary Cole, Susan Gladwin, and unidentified Filipina (Harry Newton Cole Papers, HS18242); upper right: Prison in city walls, Manila (Frank T. Corriston photograph collection, BL003732); bottom right: Three pensionados at U-M (“Filipinos at Ann Arbor,” Detroit Free Press, October 27, 1901); bottom left: Filipino student’s hand-drawn map (Frederick G. Behner papers, 1893-1924)
The Philippines and the University of Michigan, 1870-1935
This website, based upon letters, photographs, articles, and transcripts from the Bentley Historical Library and the William L. Clements Library, uncovers the University of Michigan’s role in colonialism in the Philippines, primarily from 1898 to 1935.
Students study on the lawn of the Law Quad, 1946 (University of Michigan News and Information Services Photographs, BL000242)
Events & Programming
From walking tours and exhibits to lectures and symposia, find events focused on the history of the university.
Find events
Young man walking outside U-M Flint College, 1970 (University of Michigan Photographs Vertical File, HS17184)
Explore Further
Libraries, databases, and magazines across U-M’s campuses preserve the university’s past and produce stories and events focusing on its history. Search and explore a list of selected resources to investigate further.
Explore Resources
