Since its inception in 1859, Adrian College, founded by pre-Civil War era abolitionists and Plymouth Church minister Asa Mahan, has been dedicated to serving men and women of all races — even when it was controversial to do so.

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When Michigan Union College became unpopular due to its abolitionist views, Mahan instigated its move from Leoni, Michigan, to Adrian, Michigan. The library of the literary society was the chief material asset of the school. An early history of the college reveals, "The books were hauled...in an oxcart by night, in great excitement, due to the feeling in the community which accompanied the closing of the college."

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Oxcart, the student creative arts magazine, dedicates itself to carrying forward the tradition of fairness and freedom, and to valuing art and literature as guides to these virtues in the world.