American history is a mosaic composed of thousands of tiles that are essentially local histories. Oakland County is one of those tiles. To understand local history, one must appreciate where it fits in the larger mosaic.

Beginning in early 2023, the Oakland County Historical Commission will be displaying posters at libraries, history museums and senior centers around the county. They will highlight important aspects of American history and the role Oakland County played in each those nationally significant stories. These posters will be updated quarterly to focus on a new historical theme.

Completed posters, along with additional material intended to supplement their content (when available), are available for viewing below. Click on each image to expand.

Poster 1: The Arsenal of Democracy

Allied success in World War II was largely a result of the superior productive capacity of the Allied nations, specifically the British Empire, the Soviet Union and the United States. Thousands of communities around the country, including those in Oakland County, contributed to the American production effort.

Poster 2: Americans Move West, 1800-1850

In the years following the American Revolution and especially the War of 1812, people leaving in what had been the 13 Colonies migrated in great numbers to land west of the Appalachian Mountains. By 1850, more than half of all Americans lived in the West. In Oakland County, as in the rest of Michigan, this migration was closely linked to western New York.

For more information, check out the resource documents below.

• Indian Removal Act
• The Routes West
• State Populations 1790-1850
• Post Millennialism
• Native American Treaty Maps in Michigan
• Uriah Adams, Millerite and Elijah Pilcher, Circuit Rider
• Coming to Oakland County