Detroit Flashcards
how big was Detroit
it was the 4th largest city in America
what does “economic ecosystem” mean
everything needed in the factories was produced/ supplied within Detroit. Did not need any imports
why did many African Americans move to Detroit
in 1910-1920 many African Americans moved from south to north because of better jobs and less racism
how much did the population of African American change between 1910 and 1930?
Increased from 5700 in 1910 to 120,000 in 1930
what was the problem with so many people moving to Detroit
there was not enough housing for everyone
how many African Americans lived in Detroit in 1940 and 1950
150,000 in 1940
300,000 in 1950
what important event happened in 1943
there was a big race riot between the two ethnicities.
34 people died over 3 days.
The army was called in to try and stop it
what caused the race riots of 1943
400,000 migrants came into Detroit in the early 1940s causing tensions of housing and jobs. There was existing social tensions caused by racism. The riots were escalated after a false rumour spread that a mob of whites had thrown a black mother and her baby into the Detroit River.
what is white flight in Detroit
many white people fled from the city centre to the suburbs to get away from the increasing African American population
when was the peak population of Detroit
the population peaked in 1950 at 1.84 million people
when was the second race riots?
happened in 1967, starting on July 23rd.
It was mainly confrontation between African American and Detroit police.
It lasted 5 days, resulted in 43 deaths and almost 1200 injuries, 7200 arrests, 400 buildings destroyed.
Michigan national guard called in to help stop it.
why was Detroit’s economy so successful?
it was located near to natural resources, had many rail links and had access to the great lakes which helped with imports and exports.
how is ford related to Detroit
ford was originally based in Detroit and in 1932 it’s rogue River industrial complex was the largest integrated factory in the world
who/ what moved to the suburbs
Many white people as well as many factories moved to the suburbs. In 1944 the gov built expressways to the suburbs where the factories were.
How many white people moved to the suburbs between 1970 and 1980
Over 300,000 white people moved to the suburbs. The percentage of African Americans in Detroit increased from 43.7% to 67.1%.
what happened in Detroit in the 1950s related to the automotive industry
10-15 new automotive plants were built in the suburbs however none were built near the city centre
what type of economy did Detroit have
single industry economy - almost all of Detroit’s economy came from the automotive industry. this was good as the industry was doing well however Detroit is very dependent on it.
what happened in the 1970s
many people started leaving the city and crime rates were rising. most automotive factories in the city centre had closed down
what was the population in 2000
the population had dropped to less than 1 million. around half the population from 50 years ago
what problems did so many people leaving cause
it was very hard to keep the city developing and the economy was slowly dying
what happened in 2013
Detroit was in $18 billion debt and filed for bankruptcy (largest bankruptcy filling in us history by debt)
what happened in the years leading up to Detroit’s bankruptcy
The automotive industry in America was falling due to globalisation. Detroit depended massively on the automotive industry due to its single industry economy. this caused a massive decline in its economy in the years leading up to bankruptcy, causing many people to leave which did not help the city.
what did Detroit say it needed to recover
Detroit said it needed 800 million dollars
what was the population change between 1950 and 2013
the population went from a peak of 1.84 million in 1950 to 700,000 in 2013
how did Detroit start recovering
Many different organisations invested money into the city including a total of almost $370 million dollars from the ford Foundation.
Detroit started investigating into the city to try and improve both it’s economy and it’s reputation
what caused Detroit’s decline in economy
globalisation caused motor companies like ford, general motors and Chrysler to move abroad for cheaper locations and labour. this resulted in many people leaving the city to find work, lowering the tax base and ultimately leading to its bankruptcy
who is Dan Gilbert?
he is an American billionaire, businessman and philanthropist. He owns quicken loans and real estate firm bedrock, both of which are based in Detroit
How did Dan Gilbert help Detroit
His real estate firm, bedrock, has invested $5.6 billion in around 100 properties in downtown Detroit.
His family of companies employs 17,000 people, with 3400 living in Detroit, and is the largest employer and taxpayer of Detroit.
He is a founder of Detroit Venture Partners (DVP), a firm that funds start-ups and early-stage technology companies in Detroit.
how much influence does Dan Gilbert have
Dan Gilbert has massive influence across Detroit with almost as much power as the government due to his large role in helping Detroit out of bankruptcy and his involvement with it’s economy.
