- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
Detroit was established as a French settlement three-quarters of a century before the founding of this nation. A remote outpost built to protect trapping interests, it grew as agriculture expanded on the new frontier. Its industry took a great leap forward with the completion of the Erie Canal, which opened up the Great Lakes to the East Coast. Surrounded by untapped natural resources, Detroit turned iron from the Mesabi Range into stoves and railcars, and eventually cars by the millions. This vibrant commercial hub attracted businessmen and labor organizers, European immigrants and African Americans from the rural South. At its mid-20th-century heyday, one in six American jobs were connected to the auto industry, its epicenter in Detroit. And then the bottom fell out.
Detroit: A Biography takes a long, unflinching look at the evolution of one of America's great cities, and one of the nation's greatest urban failures. It tells how the city grew to become the heart of American industry and how its utter collapse—from 1.8 million residents in 1950 to 714, 000 only six decades later—resulted from a confluence of public policies, private industry decisions, and deep, thick seams of racism. And it raises the question: when we look at modern-day Detroit, are we looking at the ghost of America's industrial past or its future?
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 A Difficult Childhood
- 2 The British Decades
- 3 Detroit and the Canal of Riches
- 4 The Civil War and Racial Flashpoints
- 5 Detroit Turns Industrial
- 6 The Auto Era
- 7 A Great Migration
- 8 The Roaring Twenties
- 9 Great Depression
- 10 The Black Legion
- 11 Housing and the Racial Divide
- 12 The War Years
- 13 The 1943 Riot
- 14 The Postwar Boom
- 15 Race in the Fifties
- 16 Death of the Covenants
- 17 The Oil Embargo
- 18 When the Jobs Go Away
- 19 Pittsburgh, a Different Case
- 20 An Epilogue
- Afterword
- Acknowledgments
- Selected Bibliography
- Notes