Stars and stripes o'er the strait - quad anniversary lecture series

In recognition of this country’s 250th anniversary, the Detroit Historical Society will celebrate the day that the United States flag first flew over the frontier village of Detroit – July 11, 1796, with a lecture by Joel Stone, DHS Curator Emeritus. This day, and Detroit’s role during the American Revolution, are not widely understood. However, on this single day – the day the British government left town – Detroit and the Northwest Territories added a mass of land to the young nation larger than the original 13 colonies. It represented a notable maturation of the republic and drew Detroit firmly into the new American reality – both the concept and actuality of expansionism and conquest that eventually became known as Manifest Destiny. It started here.