Historical Context 

Originally a French trading post, Detroit was first chartered in 1802. Permanently incorporated in 1815, Detroit was Michigan's capital from 1837, when Michigan was admitted as a state, until 1847, when the capitol was moved to a more central location of Lansing. From its start, Detroit has been a city of industry. Due to its proximity to the Detroit River, Detroit was ideal for its water shipping lanes. A series of major maritime and railroad projects made Detroit a regional transportation hub, connecting it to both local and national markets. Detroit had a very diversified manufacturing industry. Detroit has a history of diversified industries, which historically helped draw in workers to the area. In 1880, in terms of the value of their products, Detroit's top industries were iron and steel, men's clothing, tobacco products, foundries and machine shops, meat packing, four milling, printing, baking, and boots and shoes. The population of Detroit from 116,000 to 286,000 residents from 1880 to 1900, with employment opportunities rising from 12,500 to 54,000. By 1904, Detroit's leading industries based on their value of output were foundry and machine shop products, pharmaceuticals, tobacco products, stoves, motor vehicles, meat packing, malt liquors, varnishes, flour, and men's clothing. With union membership at its height in 1886, with one in five Detroit workers belonging to one, union membership dropped drastically, making Detroit attractive to many firms due to its open-shop status. With a diversified industrial economy, Detroit became home to many migrant and immigrant communities. In 1900, one-third of Detroit's residents were foreign-born. [2] Cultural differences created tension among residents, particularly white "natives," with ethnic enclaves separating neighborhoods by ethnicity. Such diversity, coupled with both business and government policies, would shape the Detroit landscape then and now.

Footnotes

[1] Flag of Detroit (Detroit, Detroit Historical Society, 2023). <https://detroithistorical.org/learn/encyclopedia-of-detroit/flag-detroit> (accessed on April 16, 2023)

[2] Hyde, Charles K, Detroit: An Industrial History Guide (Detroit, Detroit Historical Society, 1980), 5.