Ralph Bunche Summer Institute
Primary and Secondary Sources: What's the Difference?
Michigan/Detroit Timeline
Michigan History
- Michigan Historical Marker WebsiteSearch this database of Michigan Historical Markers by Topic, County or Keyword.
- Historical Marker Documentation SummaryForm for submitting documented facts about the subject of the historical marker.
- Michigan Historical Markers MapFrom the Michigan History Center.
- Michigan Legal Milestones MapA map of the legal milestone markers in Michigan, along with descriptions of the people and events being commemorated.
- National Register of Historic Places: Wayne CountyList of sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Wayne County. Includes year, architect, location.
- Encyclopedia of DetroitBrief entries for people, places and events in the City of Detroit's history.
- Living History Detroit: Charles A. Wright MuseumA historical timeline from 1865-1950 and oral history video clips with Detroit residents who recall events from recent history.
- Detroit 1701This site was created by an individual, but has a lot of great information about the people and places of Detroit history.
Detroit
- Detroit 1967This website has a variety of resources related to the events in Detroit in 1967, including the Kerner Commission Report, scholarly articles, photographs and more.
- 12th Street DetroitThis online exhibit explores the history of Detroit’s 1967 Civil Unrest through the deliberate and transparent use of primary sources located at the Reuther Library at Wayne State University.
- Virtual Motor CityA collection of digital images from the Detroit News, Reuther Archives and Wayne State libraries. Use the menus and scroll bars on the left to browse this collection.
- Democracy Now!Stories about Detroit from Democracy Now! an independent news source.
Establishing Credibility
Check for Previous Work: Do two separate sources confirm the original report? Are the sources unbiased and independent?
Go Upstream: Find the source of the original report (statistics, journal, government site, newspaper). Is it reputable?
Read Laterally: Read other reports of the same story. Are they from different sources? Do they confirm or conflict with original report?
Circle Back: Go back to check for previous work when the source is not trustworthy, or a presented statement or fact has become complex, or there are multiple sub-claims. Try a new search of different fact checking sites or find alternate sources.
Adapted from: Caulfield, M. A. (2017). Web literacy for student fact checkers. Pressbooks: Simple Book Productions. Retrieved from https://webliteracy.pressbooks.com/front-matter/web-strategies-for-student-fact-checkers
Suggestions for searching
Detroit discrimination housing
Detroit social change
Detroit culture politics
Detroit race relations
Detroit police relations
Detroit environmental justice
- Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new windowGale Virtual Reference Library is a database of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. Search Detroit Michigan as a starting point.
- Images of America This link opens in a new windowThis set of local history books includes an entire series on the City of Detroit, landmarks, history, ethnic groups, African American history, architecture and more. Use the Search on the grey bar, and include Detroit in the place box.
- Detroit Free Press Historical Full-Text (1831-1922) This link opens in a new windowDetroit Free Press Historical has full text of articles from to 1831-1922.
Articles from 1923 through 1998 are not available digitally--you would need to use microfilm. Microfilm is an old but stable technology used to preserve printed materials. At Wayne State University, you can use microfilm readers in the Purdy/Kresge library to read and save (to PDF) materials that are available on microfilm.
- Detroit Free Press (1999-Present) This link opens in a new windowThis database provides access to the full text of the Detroit Free Press from 1999 to current.
Beyond Google: Hidden Sites
- Detroit Journalism CooperativeThe Detroit Journalism Cooperative is a partnership of five media outlets, which includes The Center for Michigan’s Bridge Magazine, Detroit Public Television (DPTV), Michigan Radio, WDET, New Michigan Media and Chalkbeat Detroit a partnership of ethnic and minority newspapers.
- Digital Public Library of AmericaThis site provides access to digital images, text and more from archives, museums and libraries across the United States.
Beyond Google: Michigan Electronic Library (MeL)
- MeL MichiganaSearch 15 diverse collections which span many aspects of Michigan history.
Beyond Google: Wayne State Library Databases and ebooks
- Detroit History: ebooksA list of ebooks available through the Wayne State University libraries on Detroit history.
- America: history and life This link opens in a new windowSearch "michigan history" as a source to find articles from Michigan History magazine. Full text is available from 1998 to present.
Books
The 1967 Detroit Riots by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9780737763621Publication Date: 2013This volume from Perspectives on Modern World History provides a brief overview of the major factors that contributed to the events in Detroit from July 23-27, 1967.
The Origins of the Urban Crisis by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9780691162553Publication Date: 2014In this reappraisal of America's racial and economic inequalities, Thomas Sugrue asks why Detroit and other industrial cities have become the sites of persistent racialized poverty. Weaving together the history of workplaces, unions, civil rights groups, political organizations, and real estate agencies, Sugrue finds the roots of today's urban poverty in a hidden history of racial violence, discrimination, and deindustrialization that reshaped the American urban landscape after World War II.
Untold Tales, Unsung Heroes : an oral history of Detroit's African American community, 1918-1967 by Call Number: ebookISBN: 9780814324653Publication Date: 1993More than one hundred individuals who lived in Detroit at some time during the period from 1918 to 1967 share stories about everyday life-families and neighborhoods, community and religious life, school and work.
