History of Detroit facts for kids

Detroit is the largest city in Michigan. French colonists first settled it in 1701. It was the first European settlement in North America not directly on the coast. It started as a New France fur trading post. The city began to grow in the 1800s as more U.S. settlers moved to the Great Lakes area. By 1920, Detroit became a major industrial city. This was thanks to the booming auto industry and many new people moving there. It was the fourth-largest city in the United States until the mid-1900s.

The first Europeans in Detroit were French traders and colonists. They came from the New Orleans colony, Montreal, and Quebec. They interacted with powerful Native American groups. These included the League of the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) and the Council of Three Fires (Anishinaabe). The French often supported the Anishinaabe. The English and Dutch supported the Iroquois.

More people moved to Detroit for the profitable fur trade. This trade relied on good relationships with Native American chiefs. The French government offered free land to attract families to Detroit. The population grew steadily. However, it grew slower than the English colonies on the Atlantic coast. The French had fewer people and attracted fewer families. During the French and Indian War (1756–1763), the French strengthened Fort Detroit. The fort was built in 1701 along the Detroit River. British and colonial forces, along with their Native American allies, often attacked it.

Fort Detroit was given to the British on November 29, 1760. This happened after the fall of Quebec. Control of the area, and all French land east of the Mississippi River, went to Great Britain. This was part of the Treaty of Paris (1763). In 1760, Detroit had 2,000 people. By 1773, this number dropped to 1,400. The British also stopped colonists from settling in this area. During the American Revolution, the population grew to 2,144 by 1778. It was then the third-largest city in the Province of Quebec.

After 1773, more European-American settlers moved west. They went through New York State into the Ohio Country. They spread across present-day Ohio and around Lake Huron. After the Sullivan Expedition in 1778 weakened the Iroquois, settlers poured into the Midwest. Detroit became a major gateway to the west and the Great Lakes. For a time, it was the most important city west of the mountains, except for New Orleans.

In the 1800s, Detroit became a busy center for business and industry. After a huge fire in 1805, a man named Augustus B. Woodward created a new street plan. It was like the plan for Washington, D.C. Wide avenues and traffic circles spread out from Campus Martius Park. This design helped traffic flow and included many trees and parks.

The city grew along Jefferson Avenue. Many factories used the river and train lines for transportation. In the late 1800s, fancy mansions were built east of downtown. People sometimes called Detroit the Paris of the West. This was because of its beautiful buildings and Washington Boulevard, which Thomas Edison had recently lit up with electricity. Many tall skyscrapers were built in downtown Detroit throughout the 1900s.

After World War II, the auto industry boomed. More people moved to the suburbs. The Detroit metropolitan area became one of the largest in the U.S. Immigrants and people from other parts of the country greatly helped Detroit's economy and culture. Later in the century, changes in industry and problems in the auto business led to fewer jobs and people. Since the 1990s, the city has started to come back to life. Many parts of Detroit are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Detroit's Early History: Native Americans and French Settlers

Native American Life in Ancient Detroit

People lived in the Detroit area as far back as 11,000 years ago. This is shown by ancient hearths found near Lake Saint Clair. Mound Builders also lived here. They built cone-shaped mounds for burials, ceremonies, and defense. The largest mound was at the River Rouge. It contained old human bones, arrowheads, and pottery. These Mound Builders were ancestors of later Native American tribes.

In the 1600s, the Huron, Odawa, Potawatomi, and western Iroquois League nations lived in the region. French missionaries and traders first reached the Detroit straits in the 1630s. They had to travel around the Iroquois, who were at war with them. In the late 1600s, the Five Nations of the Iroquois raided the region. They drove out other Native American groups to control the fur trade. When the French decided to build a fort on the Detroit River, they found the permanent villages had been abandoned.

French Beginnings: How Detroit Was Founded

The first mention of the site was in the 1670s. French missionaries found and destroyed a stone idol that Native Americans worshipped there. Early settlers planted twelve pear trees, named after the twelve Apostles, at what is now Waterworks Park.

The city's name comes from the Detroit River. In French, le détroit du Lac Érie means "the strait of Lake Erie." This strait connects Lake Huron and Lake Erie. It also included Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River.

Sieur de Cadillac suggested to the French government in 1698 that Detroit be a safe place for Native American allies. Paris agreed. In 1701, Cadillac led 100 Frenchmen to build a post. He called it Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit. He named it after his supporter, the comte de Pontchartrain. In 1704, Cadillac was given ownership of the fort. However, an investigation showed he was a greedy leader. He was removed and sent to New Orleans as governor of Louisiana.

Ste. Anne de Détroit, founded in 1701, is the second oldest Catholic church in the U.S. It was the first building in Detroit. The main business was trading furs with Native Americans. Detroit was the largest French village between Montreal and New Orleans. Francois Marie Picoté, the last French commander at Fort Detroit, surrendered to the British in 1760. Control of the area went to the British after the Treaty of Paris (1763). The settlement became Detroit. Free land grants helped Detroit grow to 800 people by 1765.

In 1763, several tribes worked together in Pontiac's Rebellion. They took over many smaller forts. However, they could not capture Detroit.

Detroit Under American Rule

Becoming Part of the United States

Detroit was a target for American forces during the American Revolutionary War. But problems with supplies and British-allied Native Americans kept them from reaching the area. In the Treaty of Paris (1783), Great Britain gave Detroit to the new United States. However, the British kept control of it. They continued to trade with and protect their Native American allies. They supplied them with weapons to raid American settlers. The British finally left in 1796 after the Jay Treaty. In 1794, General Anthony Wayne defeated a Native American alliance at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. This alliance had some British support. Wayne then signed the Treaty of Greenville (1795). In this treaty, tribes gave the Fort Detroit area to the United States.

Father Gabriel Richard arrived in Detroit in 1796. He helped start the school that became the University of Michigan. He also started schools for American and Native American children. As a representative to the U.S. Congress, he helped build a road connecting Detroit and Chicago. He also brought the first printing press to Michigan. This press printed Michigan's first newspaper.

The Great Fire of 1805 destroyed most of Detroit. Only a river warehouse and some brick chimneys survived. Detroit's motto and seal on its flag remember this fire.

Detroit's New Plan After the Fire

Detroit became an official town on January 18, 1802. After the 1805 fire, Justice Augustus B. Woodward created a new city plan. It was similar to Washington, D.C.'s design. Detroit's main avenues and traffic circles spread out from Grand Circus Park. This helped traffic and made the city beautiful with tree-lined streets and parks.

Detroit During the War of 1812

In the War of 1812, Governor Hull surrendered Detroit to a smaller British force. This force was supported by Native American allies led by Tecumseh. The British commander, Isaac Brock, tricked the Americans into thinking there were thousands of Native American warriors. Tecumseh marched his troops through a clearing multiple times to make their numbers seem much larger. Hull was found guilty of cowardice but was pardoned. The U.S. Army took Detroit back in 1813. They used it as a base to invade Canada and stop Native American raids. After the British left Detroit, American forces defeated them and their Native American allies at the Battle of the Thames.

On October 24, 1815, Lewis Cass, the territorial governor, gave control of local affairs back to the people of Detroit. They elected a board of trustees and created a new city charter.

Detroit Grows and Changes

Slavery in Early Detroit

Slavery was part of Detroit's early history, even though it's often overlooked. Both Native American and African people were enslaved. They helped build the city. It's believed that enslaved people were among the first group Cadillac brought in 1701. Their work was important for the fur trade and building the city. Slave owners included merchants, farmers, and leaders. Records of slavery in Detroit are incomplete, but some journals and wills of slaveholders exist.

A City Takes Shape

After rebuilding in the early 1800s, Detroit became a busy community. By the American Civil War, over 45,000 people lived there. Most lived along Jefferson Avenue to the east and Fort Street to the west. Many old buildings in Detroit have been replaced over the years. The oldest remaining homes are in areas like Corktown and along Jefferson Avenue. These include the Charles Trowbridge House (1826) and the Joseph Campau House (1835). Other old buildings include Fort Wayne (1849) and churches like Saints Peter and Paul Church (1848).

Newspapers were the main way people got news from the 1830s until the 1950s. Detroit had many daily papers for different groups and interests.

Detroit During the Civil War

Before the American Civil War, Detroit was a key stop on the Underground Railroad. This was a secret network that helped enslaved people escape to Canada. The Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in Campus Martius Park honors Michigan's role in the Civil War. Thousands of Detroiters joined volunteer groups. The 24th Michigan Infantry Regiment fought bravely at Gettysburg in 1863. President Abraham Lincoln reportedly said, Thank God for Michigan! After Lincoln's death, General George Armstrong Custer gave a speech near Campus Martius Park. Custer led the Michigan Brigade and called them the Wolverines.

The Detroit race riot of 1863 happened on March 6, 1863. It was the city's first major riot. It involved Irish and German Catholics who resisted draft laws. At least two people died, and many were injured, mostly African-American. Thirty-five buildings were burned.

Growth of Industry and Business

Detroit's location in the Great Lakes Region helped it become a major center for trade. It became a U.S. transportation hub. It connected the Great Lakes waterways to the Erie Canal and train lines. Companies like Parke-Davis (1870s) and Frederick Stearns Company (1890s) set up in the city. Globe Tobacco built a factory downtown in 1888. In the late 1800s, making cast-iron stoves became Detroit's top industry. By the 1890s, Detroit was known as the "Stove Capital of the World."

More factories led to a new group of wealthy business owners and professionals. Some built fancy homes along East Jefferson Avenue. Detroit was sometimes called the Paris of the West for its beautiful buildings. The city expanded north of downtown. Many historic Victorian homes were built in areas like Brush Park and East Ferry Avenue. Wealthy residents also paid for many churches, like the First Presbyterian Church (1889).

Immigrants in the 1800s

Detroit has always been a city of immigrants. Early French settlers were followed by Irish in the 1840s and Germans in the 1860s-1890s. Polish immigrants also came during this time.

Irish Catholics found many opportunities and faced little religious unfairness. They were successful in politics and jobs like construction. They helped relatives move from Ireland. They were very active in the Democratic Party and labor unions.

European immigrants started businesses and communities. German immigrants built German-speaking churches on the east side of the city. These included Saint John's-St. Luke's Evangelical Church (1872) and St. Joseph Catholic Church (1873). They also formed social clubs. Polish immigrants built Catholic churches on the east side, like St. Albertus (1885). They also settled on the west side. Catholics were very active in building churches, schools, and hospitals.

By 1900, nearly nine out of ten Detroiters lived in single-family homes. Many European immigrants, like Germans and Poles, owned their homes. They often built their homes with help from neighbors. Homeownership grew quickly in Detroit's immigrant neighborhoods.

Mayor Hazen Pingree's Impact

In 1889, Hazen S. Pingree became mayor. He was a businessman with no political experience. One of his first projects was paving the streets. Before him, only four streets were paved, and others were in very bad condition. He fought against powerful companies that provided streetcar, gas, electric, and telephone services. He successfully lowered their prices, which made him very popular. He also supported a city-owned electric light plant.

When a major economic downturn happened in 1893, he helped people by opening empty lots for gardening. People called them "Pingree's potato patches." He was a strong Republican and gained support from German, Polish, and Canadian groups. He was reelected several times. Pingree was one of the most important American mayors in the 1890s. He is seen as an early leader of the Progressive Era. He later became governor of Michigan.

Detroit in the 1900s

Henry Ford and the Automobile Industry

Detroit's carriage-making industry helped set the stage for Henry Ford. In 1910, his Highland Park Ford Plant changed car manufacturing forever. He created the assembly line and mass production. Other car makers quickly copied Ford's ideas. Most of these companies and their parts suppliers were in the Detroit area. This made Detroit famous as the world's car capital.

Early car factories included the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant (1904), a National Historic Landmark. Other factories were in the Piquette Avenue Industrial Historic District and the New Amsterdam Historic District.

Car assembly and related manufacturing soon took over Detroit. New car leaders built large office buildings. These included the General Motors Building (1919) and the Fisher Building (1928).

Ford changed how workers were treated with his high wage policy. He paid workers $5 a day in 1910, which was double the usual pay. This stopped workers from leaving, increased how much they produced, and lowered overall labor costs. It helped the Model T become very popular. However, by the 1920s, Ford's simple, cheap cars fell behind General Motors. GM offered better quality, more choices, and helped people get loans to buy cars.

The car industry needed many workers. This brought huge numbers of people from Europe. Between 1900 and 1930, Detroit's population grew from 265,000 to over 1.5 million. The city expanded outwards. This population boom led to many apartment buildings being built for middle-class auto workers.

The rise of cars also meant changes for city transportation. Bridges were built to separate train and car traffic. The West Jefferson Avenue-Rouge River Bridge (1922) allowed the Rouge River to be widened for boats.

Progressive Ideas and Social Change

The Progressive movement started in the 1890s. Middle-class men and women wanted to improve society. They felt it was their duty to fix problems caused by corrupt politicians and businesses. Mayor Hazen S. Pingree was a key leader. The Detroit Citizens League, supported by business and religious leaders, pushed for changes. They wanted a new city charter and fair rules for workers.

Reinhold Niebuhr, a German-American minister, became famous in Detroit. He spoke out against unfair conditions for Ford workers. He believed that factory work was hard and didn't give workers satisfaction. He let union organizers use his church to talk about workers' rights. He criticized the tough conditions of assembly lines and unstable jobs.

Niebuhr wrote in his diary about a factory visit: "The heat was terrible. The men seemed tired. Here, manual labor is just hard work, and toil is like slavery. The men can't find any joy in their work. They just work to earn a living. Their sweat and pain are part of the price for the nice cars we all drive."

Historians note that Ford tried to improve worker lives through "welfare capitalism." He paid high wages and offered benefits like vacations and retirement. This helped keep workers and appealed to family men.

The Gilded Age in Detroit

At the start of the 1900s, wealthy areas like Brush Park led to even fancier neighborhoods. These included Boston-Edison and Indian Village. Areas along Woodward Avenue became a mix of apartments and businesses. Many beautiful churches and cathedrals were built across the city.

Money from the auto industry and new technologies led to a boom in downtown Detroit. Many tall skyscrapers were built. The Guardian Building (1928) and the Fisher Building (1928) are famous examples. Well-known architects designed many of Detroit's landmarks.

Shopping areas grew along Park Avenue and Woodward. In 1881, Joseph Lowthian Hudson opened a small clothing store. His store grew into the huge J. L. Hudson Department Store. It had 49 acres of floor space.

Many hotels were built, like the Fort Shelby Hotel (1916). Grand movie theaters like the Fox (1928) entertained thousands. Public buildings like Orchestra Hall (1919) and the Detroit Public Library (1921) were inspired by the City Beautiful movement.

Immigrants in the 1900s

The car industry's growth led to a huge demand for workers. Many immigrants came from Europe and Canada to fill these jobs. Detroit's population grew more than six times in the first half of the 1900s. These newcomers worked in car factories and opened local shops.

Greek immigrants arrived in the late 1890s. They became peddlers, grocers, and restaurant owners, mostly in the Greektown neighborhood. A wave of Italian immigrants came between 1890 and 1914. Many African Americans also moved from the South. Ford was one of the few big employers who hired black workers.

Detroit grew by adding nearby villages like Woodmere and Delray. However, some cities like Hamtramck and Highland Park remained separate within Detroit's borders. By the 1930s, Poles were a large immigrant group, with over 66,000 living in Detroit. During World War II, many white people from Appalachia and black people from the rural South moved to Detroit. Arabs, especially Palestinians, arrived in large numbers after 1970.

The Jewish community also grew, with new arrivals from Eastern Europe.

Local Politics in the 1900s

From the 1870s to the 1910s, local politics were shaped by ethnic groups, especially Germans and Irish Catholics. They controlled the Democratic Party. This changed after 1910. Protestant business leaders, especially from the car industry, pushed for efficiency. They elected their own people, like James J. Couzens, who was mayor from 1919–22. A big change happened in 1918. Voters changed the Common Council from 42 members elected by party to 9 members elected without party labels. This made ethnic groups lose some political power.

After 1930, the Democratic Party regained strength. It teamed up with the United Auto Workers union. This brought back the leadership of ethnic groups, like Frank Murphy, who was mayor from 1930-33. Mayors Jerome Cavanagh and Roman Gribbs were the last white ethnic mayors until 2014. The election of Coleman Young in 1974 brought new black leaders to power. They represented the city's new majority.

Women's Roles in the 1900s

Most young women worked before marriage, then stopped. Before high schools became common after 1900, most women left school around age 15. The type of work they did depended on their background and whether they were married. Black mothers often worked as domestic servants because other jobs were limited.

Nursing became a respected profession in the late 1800s. This opened up new career paths for talented young women. The School of Nursing at Detroit's Harper Hospital, started in 1884, was a national leader. Its graduates worked in hospitals, public health, and volunteered in military hospitals during wars.

In the early 1900s, middle-class women in the Detroit Federation of Women's Clubs (DFWC) promoted civic duty. They focused on public health, sanitation, and safety. They pushed city leaders to provide good education, clean facilities, safe food, and traffic safety.

The Great Depression in Detroit

The Great Depression hit Detroit very hard. Car sales dropped, and many people lost their jobs. Mayor Frank Murphy insisted that no one would go hungry. He set up a committee that created soup kitchens and potato gardens. In 1933, Murphy resigned. Frank Couzens became mayor. He was the son of former mayor and U.S. Senator James Couzens. In 1933, Detroit faced a money crisis. Tax money had fallen, and welfare spending had risen. The city couldn't pay its bills and used special notes to pay teachers and police. Couzens fixed the city's finances by cutting debt and balancing the budget. He also got a lot of federal aid and improved street lighting and the sewage system.

Labor Unions Rise

With the factories came powerful labor unions in the 1930s. The United Auto Workers (UAW) had many disagreements with car makers. Union leaders like Jimmy Hoffa of the Teamsters and Walter Reuther of the autoworkers became very influential.

The union movement in the auto industry was led by CIO organizers. Skilled tool and die makers and British and Irish ethnic workers were very active. They had been quiet in the late 1920s but became very active during the Depression. After successful sit-down strikes at General Motors, many non-union workers followed in 1937. They had support from the city, the New Deal, and Governor Frank Murphy. They won many agreements and formed unions outside the auto industry. However, Ford successfully resisted unions until 1941.

World War II and the "Arsenal of Democracy"

When the United States entered World War II, Detroit changed greatly. From 1942 to 1945, no commercial cars were made. Factories instead built M5 tanks, jeeps, and B-24 bombers for the Allies. The Guardian Building became a headquarters for war production. Detroit played a huge role in the Allied war effort. It was a key part of America's Arsenal of Democracy.

The B-24 Liberator was the most produced bomber in history. Before the war, a factory might make one B-24 a day. By 1943, Ford's plants made one B-24 an hour, reaching 600 per month. Many pilots waited for planes to roll off the assembly line at Ford's Willow Run facility.

Racial tension grew quickly during World War II. High-paying jobs brought tens of thousands of families to Detroit. However, there was a severe shortage of housing. Many Polish Detroiters felt that black people threatened their jobs, homes, and communities.

An August 1942 Life article called "Detroit is Dynamite." It talked about the city's labor and race problems. It said Detroit's morale was "perhaps the worst in the U.S." Because Detroit was so important to the war, the article was censored outside North America. The riot exploded in June 1943. Groups of black and white people fought. The three days of street fighting killed 25 black people and 9 white people. It injured 433 and caused $2 million in damage. The U.S. Army was called in to stop the fighting.

Challenges and Changes in Detroit

Why Detroit's Population Declined

Detroit has seen a big drop in its economy and population. The city's population fell from 1,850,000 in 1950 to 680,000 in 2015. This meant it was no longer among the top 20 U.S. cities for the first time since 1850. Crime rates were high, and large parts of the city showed severe urban decay. In 2013, Detroit filed for the largest city bankruptcy in U.S. history. It successfully left bankruptcy in December 2014.

As of 2017, the average household income is rising. Crime is also decreasing by 5% each year.

How the Auto Industry Changed Detroit

Before cars, Detroit was a small manufacturing center. In 1900, it had 285,000 people. Over the next decades, the car industry grew huge. It brought a million new people to the city. At Ford Motor's huge River Rouge plant, opened in 1927, there were over 90,000 workers.

The car industry needed many workers. But World War I and a strict Immigration Act of 1924 limited new immigrants. So, car companies, especially Ford, started hiring many African Americans. These workers were leaving the South because of farming problems and Jim Crow unfairness. By 1930, Detroit's population was nearly 1.6 million. It reached almost 2 million by 1950. A World War II boom in making war supplies also helped this growth.

This population was very spread out. Car plants were all over the city. Workers often lived along bus and streetcar lines leading to their jobs. Many workers bought their own homes. After new labor laws, high wages and benefits from auto unions made it easier to own a home.

However, African American residents had less access to home loans. Their neighborhoods were seen as riskier. This meant fewer black people owned homes compared to other residents.

The auto industry also created many high-paying management jobs. These workers started moving to neighborhoods far from factories. They also moved to wealthy suburbs like Bloomfield Hills and Grosse Pointe.

Public policy focused on cars. Money went to building highways for cars. This hurt public transportation and inner-city neighborhoods.

By 1960, Detroit had a mostly African American inner city. It was surrounded by mostly white outer parts of the city and suburbs. More white people lived in the suburbs than in the city itself. Few African Americans lived in the suburbs. Real estate agents would not sell to them. If black families tried to move to suburbs, they often faced strong anger and violence.

The auto industry also started moving away from Detroit. The "Big Three" car companies (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) built cars better and cheaper. They put smaller car makers out of business. The Big Three moved production out of central Detroit to avoid union wage rules. Between 1945 and 1957, they built 25 new factories in the area, but none in Detroit itself.

This move of factories hurt Detroit's economy. Neighborhood businesses that served auto workers closed. This loss of jobs and people meant the city lost tax money. Closed auto plants often became "brownfields" because of pollution. This made them unattractive for new businesses. By the mid-1960s, the decline of the city was linked to the car industry leaving. Neighborhoods with the most closed stores and empty homes were near the old, closed car plants.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the auto industry faced more problems. Gas prices rose, and there was strong competition from Japanese and German car makers. Chrysler almost went bankrupt in the late 1970s. GM and Ford also struggled. The industry moved more manufacturing to states with lower costs and to other countries. This meant fewer good-paying auto jobs for Detroit residents.

Detroit's leaders did not try to bring other industries to the city. They kept trying to revive the auto industry. For example, in the 1980s, Detroit and Hamtramck used government power to clear land for a new Cadillac factory. This new factory, Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly, employs 1,600 workers. In the 1990s, the city helped build a new Chrysler plant, Jefferson North Assembly, which employs 4,600 people.

Racial Housing Segregation

During World War II, more black people found jobs in Detroit. But white workers strongly opposed racial integration in the workplace. They also worried about housing competition. White middle-class residents used unfair behavior and rules to control where black people could live.

After the war, economic problems and high rents made life hard for black communities. Many black families moved from the South to Detroit. This caused overcrowding, limited money, and poor living conditions. Black families faced high down payments and maintenance costs. Landlords often treated black families unfairly. City leaders did not address these issues.

New Deal policies aimed to expand homeownership. But they also led to racial unfairness. The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) and Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) used "redlining." This meant they marked black neighborhoods as risky for loans. This made it hard for black people to get mortgages. This protected property values for white middle-class homes. Redlining trapped black Detroiters in older, poorer housing.

Local government controlled federal funds for home loans. This meant black Detroiters had few options for getting loans. This made their living conditions unstable. White middle-class residents used their power to keep their neighborhoods segregated. They feared that black integration would lower property values.

Neighborhood associations also used "restrictive covenants." These were legal agreements that stopped black people from buying homes in certain areas. For example, deeds might say, "only for the Caucasian race." These rules kept neighborhoods segregated. However, in 1948, the Supreme Court ruled that enforcing these covenants was unconstitutional.

After this ruling, black Detroiters started moving into middle-class neighborhoods. White residents feared their home values would drop. Real estate agents used "blockbusting." They would scare white people into selling their homes cheaply. Then, they would sell these homes at much higher prices to black families desperate for housing. This "white flight" meant Detroit lost residents, middle-class families, and tax money. This hurt public services like schools and police.

Job Losses in the 1950s

After World War II, Detroit lost almost 150,000 jobs to the suburbs. This was due to new technology, more automation, changes in the car industry, tax policies, and new highways. Big companies like Packard and Hudson closed or shrank. In the 1950s, the unemployment rate was around 10 percent.

Freeway Construction in the 1950s and 1960s

By the late 1940s, years of unfair housing rules had hurt the living standards for many African Americans in Detroit. They had limited housing options and high rents. Neighborhoods like Black Bottom and Paradise Valley became overcrowded and run-down. They had sanitation problems, with trash in the streets. City planners, mostly white, called these areas "slums" and wanted to clear them.

In 1944, Detroit Mayor Edward Jeffries proposed "urban renewal" for Black Bottom and Paradise Valley. The government started tearing down buildings in Black Bottom in 1949. City officials, real estate agents, and banks supported this. They wanted to invest in new buildings and attract wealthier residents. When the 1956 Highway Act called for new highways through Detroit, Black Bottom and Paradise Valley were chosen. The area was already being torn down, and residents had little power to stop it.

Black Bottom was a vibrant area with about 350 black-owned businesses. But when highway projects were announced, property values disappeared. Many residents were forced to move and faced even worse poverty. The government did little to help families relocate. It was hard to find new housing because unfair housing rules still existed. It was even harder for business owners to move their businesses. The effects of highway construction still impact black businesses in Detroit today.

The Oakland-Hastings Freeway (now I-375) was built through the heart of Black Bottom. The Edsel Ford Expressway (I-94) destroyed over 2,800 buildings. The John C. Lodge Freeway also went through black neighborhoods.

A letter from Mrs. Grace Black in 1950 shows the struggles. She wrote to the governor, saying her family of six was desperate for a house. They were being forced to move for the highway and couldn't find a place because landlords wouldn't rent to families with children.

Historian Thomas Sugrue noted that many families displaced by the clearing of Paradise Valley moved to public housing or crowded into already decaying parts of the city.

Detroit Riots

The Detroit Race Riot of 1943 lasted three days. It started on Belle Isle and killed 34 people, injured 433, and caused $2 million in damage. This was one of Detroit's worst riots. It involved fighting between black and white groups. Stores were looted, and white groups rampaged through Paradise Valley, a segregated black neighborhood.

Racial tensions continued to grow. Violence was common, especially over housing. In 1955, the black Wilson family bought a home in a white neighborhood. They faced vandalism and threats. Police often did little to help.

In the summer of 1967, Detroit saw five days of riots. Forty-three people died, 33 black and 10 white. Many were injured, and 2,509 stores were looted or burned. Property damage was estimated at $40 million to $80 million.

After the 1967 Riots

After the riots, thousands of small businesses closed or moved. The affected areas remained in ruins for decades.

Coleman Young, Detroit's first black mayor, wrote in 1994 that the riot deeply hurt the city. It led to a fast decline in jobs, taxes, and investments. White people had been leaving Detroit before the riot, but afterward, the exodus was huge. In 1967, 67,000 people left. In 1968, 80,000 left.

Economist Thomas Sowell stated that before the 1967 riot, Detroit's black population had the highest home-ownership rate of any black urban group. Their unemployment rate was only 3.4 percent. He argued that the riot started the city's decline. However, Thomas Sugrue argued that over 20% of Detroit's adult black population was out of work in the 1950s and 1960s.

Economist Edward L. Glaeser believed the riots were a sign of the city's problems that had already started in the 1950s.

State and local governments responded by hiring more minority workers. The State Police hired black officers for the first time. Detroit more than doubled the number of black police officers.

The Michigan Historical Review noted that the 1967 Detroit riot helped pass Michigan's fair housing law. Other laws were passed to help with relocation and tenants' rights.

1970s and 1980s Challenges

In 1970, white people were still most of Detroit's population. But by 1980, so many white people had left that the city went from 55 percent white to 34 percent white in just ten years. In 1950, Detroit was 83 percent white.

Some blame Mayor Young's policies for the decline. Others blame federal court decisions that did not challenge housing and school segregation. Especially the case of Milliken v. Bradley in 1974. This ruling stopped a plan to desegregate Detroit and its suburbs together. Justice William O. Douglas argued that the decision continued to create "black ghettos".

Gary Orfield and Susan E. Eaton wrote that suburbs were protected from desegregation. John Mogk, an urban planning expert, said that the mass flight to the suburbs happened after Milliken. If the case had gone differently, Detroit might not have lost so much tax money.

The departure of middle-class white people left black people in control of a city with little tax money, few jobs, and many people needing welfare. Detroit had high unemployment, poverty, and infant mortality in the 1980s.

Detroit became known for violent crime in the 1970s and 1980s. It was often called the "arson capital of America" and the "murder capital of America." Crime rates peaked in 1991. Many abandoned buildings became targets for arson. The city's crime kept tourists away. Some countries even warned travelers about Detroit.

Around Halloween, Detroit had a tradition called "Devil's Night." It started as minor mischief, but by the 1980s, it became very destructive. Over 800 fires were set in 1984, mostly in empty houses. The city's fire department was overwhelmed. In later years, the city tore down thousands of abandoned houses to reduce fires. Now, the city mobilizes "Angel's Night" every year. Thousands of volunteers patrol high-risk areas.

Urban Decay in Detroit

Detroit has experienced major urban decay. This means a once-thriving city falls into disuse and disrepair. It has empty land, abandoned buildings, high unemployment, and high crime. Detroit is a famous example of this in the U.S. In 2014, 30% of homes were partly or fully empty. The problem is so bad that the city has been compared to a ghost town.

In the 1940s, Detroit was the fourth-largest U.S. city. This was thanks to the car industry. But in the 1950s, car factories moved out of Detroit. This left old factories closed and abandoned. This was a side effect of automation and globalization.

Even with improvements, blight remains, especially in African American neighborhoods. Many housing plots are empty. Over half of residential lots in large parts of the city are vacant. With at least 70,000 abandoned buildings and 90,000 empty lots, Detroit is known for its urban blight.

In 2010, Mayor Bing suggested bulldozing one-fourth of the city. Detroit is a huge city, 139 square miles. Manhattan is only 22 square miles. The city's large size makes urban decay worse. The mayor wanted to gather Detroit's remaining population into specific areas. This would help improve city services like policing, fire protection, and trash removal. The project aimed to match the city's resources to its smaller population. Still, there are about 20 square miles of empty land in the city.

The average price of homes sold in Detroit in 2012 was $7,500. Some properties were listed for $1. But most had been on the market for over a year. In 2012, more than half of Detroit property owners did not pay taxes. This cost the city $131 million.

A 2014 study found about 50,000 abandoned buildings. Over 9,000 had fire damage. It suggested tearing down 5,000 of these.

Between 2000 and 2010, Detroit lost a quarter of its population. More people left Detroit than left New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. However, from 2010 to 2018, Detroit saw the biggest growth in racial diversity of any U.S. city. This was different from other cities. White people moved back into downtown and midtown areas. These areas are becoming more crowded. But African American neighborhoods still lack good public services. The city's poverty rate is still much higher than the national average.

Population Decline

Detroit's population has dropped greatly, losing over 60% since 1950. It reached its peak in 1950 with over 1.8 million people. Its population has decreased in every census since then. In 2010, the city had just over 700,000 residents.

Most of this loss was due to factories moving from the city to the suburbs. This was combined with "white flight." Many white families moved from Detroit's urban areas to the suburbs. White flight was sped up by the Great Migration. Hundreds of thousands of black people moved from the South to Detroit for jobs. This caused overcrowding in the inner city and led to racial housing segregation. Unfair practices like redlining and restrictive covenants made overcrowding worse for minority groups. Many white residents did not want to live with their black neighbors. They chose to leave the city for mostly white suburban neighborhoods. This was also because more people wanted to own homes.

Highway construction after World War II also contributed to white flight. The Interstate Highway System made it easy for white families to commute from the suburbs to work in the city. This encouraged many white Detroiters to move. Highways were often built through areas seen as "blighted," which were typically black neighborhoods. This made existing racial segregation worse.

As a result of white flight, Detroit's racial makeup changed greatly. From 1950 to 2010, the black population went from 16.2% to 82.7%. About 1,400,000 white people left the city for the suburbs after World War II. By the 1980s, Detroit was a majority-black city for the first time.

This big change in population had political, social, and economic effects. In 1974, Detroit elected its first black mayor, Coleman Young. He aimed to have a diverse city government and police force.

Most importantly, the population decline hurt Detroit's economy. The city received less tax money. This led to more home foreclosures and unemployment. This eventually led to the city's bankruptcy in 2013.

Detroit's population continues to decline today. This impacts the mostly poor, black residents the hardest. Unfair housing policies and highway construction led to white flight. The remaining poor, black city population faced a lack of public services. This included bad schools, lack of safety, and abandoned properties. Detroit also has the highest property tax of any major U.S. city. This makes it hard for many families to afford to live there.

White flight seems to be slowing down. Wealthy white families are returning to the city. They are improving areas that were once run-down. However, this has caused problems for minority communities. Real estate development leads to higher rents. Poorer communities cannot afford these higher rents and are forced to move. This also causes "cultural displacement." Long-time residents lose their sense of belonging and history.

Data shows that Detroit's population loss is slowing. The decrease in 2017 was smaller than in 2016. The city has not returned to its 1950s population levels, but the decline is slowing. As of 2021, the population declined further to 630,000.

Social Issues: Poverty and Unemployment

As of October 2017, Detroit's unemployment rate was 8.3%. In the 1900s, it was around 5%.

Detroit ranks first among U.S. cities for the percentage of people living below the poverty line. In 2012, 36.4% of individuals and 31.3% of families lived in poverty.

City's Money Problems

On March 1, 2013, Governor Rick Snyder announced that the state would take control of Detroit's finances. A team reviewed the city's money situation. They decided an emergency manager was needed. Two weeks later, Kevyn Orr was appointed. His first report in May showed Detroit was in bad financial shape. It said Detroit was "clearly insolvent" and would have a $162 million cash shortage. The projected budget deficit was expected to reach $386 million. The report also said that costs for retired workers' benefits took up a third of Detroit's budget. Public services were suffering as Detroit's income and population shrank.

After months of talks, Orr could not reach a deal with Detroit's creditors and unions. So, on July 18, 2013, he filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection. This was the largest U.S. city bankruptcy ever, with about $18.5 billion in debt. On December 10, 2014, Detroit successfully exited bankruptcy.

Detroit's Comeback: A New Chapter

By the late 2010s, many people noticed Detroit's economic and cultural comeback. This was mainly due to new investments from private companies and the government. Detroit gained new interest through these investments and updated social policies. It is now a model for other areas looking to revive their cities.

Evidence of Detroit's comeback is clearest in the Midtown Area and Downtown. These areas have attracted many important investors. Dan Gilbert has invested heavily in buying and improving historic buildings downtown. A main goal of private real estate investment has been to make downtown Detroit attractive for technology companies like Amazon and Google. In Midtown, the focus has been on making it a cultural and business center. For example, the Midtown Cultural Connection's DIA Plaza Project aims to connect the city's cultural district. This includes the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Detroit Public Library. They want to create a public space that feels welcoming to everyone. Public transportation downtown has also received private investment. Quicken Loans invested in Detroit's QLine railcar, which runs along Woodward Avenue.

Gilbert's investment goes beyond real estate. He has also created a security force that patrols downtown. These agents work with Wayne State University's police and Detroit's police to monitor public safety. Gilbert and Quicken Loans have also worked to build a strong workforce in Detroit. They encourage employees to live in Midtown and offer financial help. Gilbert focuses on "creating opportunity" for Detroiters and encouraging investment in the city's economy.

However, some criticize how these private investors have approached downtown. Some say that the money flowing into downtown Detroit has changed the city's social and economic character. They claim that investors like Gilbert are turning Detroit into a city controlled by a few powerful people. Residents have even called the downtown area "Gilbertville." They worry about being forced to move because of rising rents. Many long-time residents also fear losing political power. They worry the city government will care less about their needs if it's influenced by outside investors.

Other investors, like John Hantz, are trying a different approach: urban farming. Hantz focuses on the run-down neighborhoods in Detroit's residential areas. In 2008, he proposed tearing down blighted homes and planting trees to create a large urban farm. Despite concerns from residents who called it a "land grab," the city approved his plan. He was granted nearly 140 acres of land. As of 2017, Hantz Farms has planted over 24,000 young trees and torn down 62 blighted buildings. It is still unclear what Hantz's long-term plans are for the project.

Detroit's comeback is also driven by partnerships between public, private, and nonprofit groups. For example, the Detroit Riverfront is maintained and developed mostly through nonprofit funding. This model has been very successful. The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy has raised over $23 million to improve the riverfront. The city is now using similar partnerships to manage other city assets.

Over the past seventy years, Detroit has seen a huge drop in its population and economy. This decline has caused many people to struggle financially. Many residents fell behind on taxes, leading to their homes being taken by the city. Property taxes on these homes were often too high because of old property value estimates. This led to more foreclosures and people being forced to move. These foreclosed properties are often sold at public auctions. Wealthy investors buy many of them to profit from Detroit's housing market.

Those who support such investment say that wealthy investors have helped by developing empty areas where no one lived. However, this kind of investment can have other negative effects. Researchers are looking at how new investment impacts a city's culture. In Detroit, they argue that private investment leads to "cultural displacement." Long-time residents lose their "sense of place and community." They may feel like their community is less their own. While new investment brings jobs and money, critics say it's "disaster capitalism." They argue it only benefits the wealthy and excludes Detroit residents who have been marginalized for decades. They fear rising property values and taxes will hurt existing populations.

In 2015, activists started a community land trust (CLT). This aims to fight the housing crisis by providing community-controlled affordable housing. The CLT helps residents by covering property taxes, insurance, repairs, and water bills. Residents pay one-third of their income in rent to the CLT. Sales limits are also placed on CLT properties to keep them affordable for future buyers.

Most doubts about CLTs come from their need for outside funding. As CLTs grow, they can become less connected to their original goals of community control. They have to compete for outside money, which can take away their independence. This problem could be avoided if CLTs could get funding from community investors who share their goals.

Detroit's Metropolitan Area

The Detroit area became a major metropolitan region with the building of a large freeway system in the 1950s and 1960s. This system expanded in the following decades. The 1950s, 60s, and 70s saw the rise of U.S. muscle cars like the Camaro and Mustang. Car designers and business leaders became famous for their work. Freeways made it easy to travel throughout the region. Millions of people moved to the suburbs. A desire for newer homes and schools made people move from the city to the suburbs even faster.

As people and jobs moved to the suburbs, Detroit had to change its role. Downtown Detroit has seen a comeback in the 2000s. It is now a business and entertainment hub. Three casino resort hotels have opened. In 1940, Detroit had about one-third of Michigan's population. Today, the metropolitan region has roughly half of the state's population. For the 2010 census, Detroit's population was 713,777. The larger metropolitan Detroit area had 5,218,852 people. The city made big improvements in the 1990s and early 2000s. Immigration continues to help the region's growth. The Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint area is expected to have 6,191,000 people by 2025.

Detroit in the 2000s

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Detroit began to revive. Much of this was in Downtown, Midtown, and New Center. After buying and fixing up the Fox Theatre in 1987, Mike Ilitch and Marian Ilitch moved Little Caesars Pizza's headquarters downtown. One Detroit Center (1993) was built. Newer downtown residents are mostly young professionals.

The city has three casino resort hotels: MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino, and Hollywood Casino. These are part of one of the largest gaming markets in the U.S. New downtown stadiums, Comerica Park and Ford Field, were built for the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Lions in 2000 and 2002. This brought the Lions' stadium back to the city for the first time since 1974. Opened in 2017, Little Caesars Arena is home to both the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons. This makes Detroit the only North American city with all major professional sports teams based downtown. In 2008, historic hotels like the Book Cadillac Hotel were beautifully restored. The city has hosted major sports events. These include the 2005 MLB All-Star Game and the 2006 Super Bowl XL. These events led to many improvements in the area.

The city's International Riverfront is a major focus for development. This has also helped similar projects in Windsor, Ontario. In 2007, Detroit finished the first big parts of the River Walk. This includes miles of parks and fountains. The Renaissance Center was greatly renovated in 2004. New developments and improvements are key to the city's plan to boost its economy through tourism. Fancy condominiums are being built along the river. Some city signs say "Welcome to Detroit, The Renaissance City Founded 1701."

In 2004, Compuware set up its world headquarters in downtown Detroit. Quicken Loans followed in 2010. Important landmarks like the Fox Theatre and Orchestra Hall have been restored. They now host concerts and plays. The Detroit Institute of Arts finished a major renovation in 2007. Many downtown centers, like Greektown and Campus Martius Park, attract visitors and host activities.

In March 2014, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department started cutting off water to homes with unpaid bills. As of July 15, over 15,000 homes had their water cut off.

Images for kids

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  The Indians lost at the Siege of Fort Detroit during Pontiac's War in 1763.

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  The American surrender, following the British Siege of Detroit during the War of 1812.

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  The City of Detroit (from Canada Shore), 1872, by A. C. Warren

• Belle Isle Park (Michigan).jpg

  Belle Isle, circa 1897–1924

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  1878 tobacco advertisement featuring the city seal of Detroit

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  St. Boniface, 1910

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  Detroit Centre Park Library, constructed in 1872

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  Detroit Post Office, built in 1891

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  Corner of Michigan and Griswold, circa 1920

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  The Majestic Building, constructed in 1896, was the city's second skyscraper, following the completion of the Hammond Building.

See also

In Spanish: Historia de Detroit para niños