Detroit

Question 1

Location

Answer 1

North East USA- the industrial heartland
On the edge of the Great Lakes
Michigan
Close to the Canadian border

Question 2

Locale

Answer 2

The Steel Belt Boom- Ship building and railroad cars
Used to be a car manufacturing city
Lack of community spirit

Question 3

Sense of Place

Answer 3

Run down city
Clear population divide
Many derelict buildings

Question 4

Why was Detroit ideal for factories during the Steel Belt Boom?

Answer 4

Easy access to coal

Large availability of iron ore

Question 5

When did the city become associated with car manufacturing?

Answer 5

20th Century

Question 6

Examples of car companies

Answer 6

Ford (dominant)
GM
Chrysler

Question 7

What triggered the ‘Great Migration’?

How many migrants came?

Answer 7

Car manufacturing

200,000 mainly black Americans came from the deep south

Question 8

What was the largest force of change leading to the car industry decline?

Answer 8

Ford and GM
Relocated to countries like Brazil where labour was cheaper (caused a large number of redundancies in Detroit- increased unemployment)
Also rise in foreign competition i.e. BMW

Question 9

Why was OPEC a force of change leading to the car industry decline?

Answer 9

1974 Arab embargo- oil prices quadrupled

Consumers turned to fuel efficient cars like Toyotas to reduce petrol costs- Ford saw reduced demand

Question 10

Why was the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 a force of change leading to car industry decline?

Answer 10

Encouraged consumers to buy fuel efficient cars

Ford and GM saw reduce sales, so went abroad for cheaper labour to maintain high profits

Question 11

Which sector dominates Detroit today?

Answer 11

Tertiary (80%)

Secondary (only 20%)

Question 12

Main industries of Detroit?

Answer 12

Trade
Transport
Utilities

Question 13

What does Detroit Soup do?

Answer 13

Promote community based development through crowdfunding
Community pays $5, has soup and listens to 4 speakers talk about their idea to help the community, then they vote
One with the most votes receives the money raised to fund their project

Question 14

Detroit Soup: Economic Project Example

Answer 14

Rebel Nell
Employs disadvantaged women, teaches them how to make jewellery
Educates them on finance and business management so they can continue in the future

Question 15

Detroit Soup: Rebel Nell Successes

Answer 15

Improves QofL for disadvantage women
Can use their new skills to earn a living in the future
Continually helps new women

Question 16

Detroit Soup: Rebel Nell Limitations

Answer 16

Doesn’t help men
Only small scale- can’t help everyone
Local market will become flooded with jewellery- only so much demand

Question 17

Detroit Soup: Social Project Example

Answer 17

Shakespeare in Detroit
Residents take part in performances
So far engaged 8,000 audience members
Stages performances in historic sites all over Detroit

Question 18

Detroit Soup: Shakespeare in Detroit Successes

Answer 18

Encourages cultural diversity- brings together the community
Goes into local schools and teaches Shakespeare- wider reaching
Inspires some students

Question 19

Detroit Soup: Shakespeare in Detroit Limitations

Answer 19

Have to audition- many residents lack the confidence

Only people with an interest in theatre benefit

Question 20

Detroit Soup: Environmental Project Example

Answer 20

Fresh Cut Flower Farm
Converted part of the derelict inner city into a farm
Local people grow the flowers
Sold to florists and wholesalers

Question 21

Detroit Soup: Fresh Cut Flower Farm Successes

Answer 21

Employs locals
Educates in horticulture 
Improves the aesthetics of the area
Open days strengthen community spirit
Encourages businesses to invest

Question 22

Detroit Soup: Fresh Cut Flower Farm Limitations

Answer 22

Small scale- can’t have a large economic impact
Doesn’t employ a large number of people
Very niche- not many florists in the area- so hard to expand in the future

Question 23

Overall impact of Detroit Soup

Answer 23

Lots of small scale projects- something to suit everyone

Tackles social, economic and environmental issues

Question 24

Population in 1900?
What percentage white?
Black?

Answer 24

286,000
98% white
1.4% black

Question 25

Population in 1950?
What percentage white?
Black?

Answer 25

1,850,000
84% white
16% black

Question 26

Population in 2010?
What percentage white?
Black?

Answer 26

714,000
11% white
83% black

Question 27

Why did suburbanisation occur?

Answer 27

Increased racial tension- ‘white flight’
Increasing tax rates in the city
Lower crime rates in suburbs
Federal Aid Highway Act 1956- increased highways- could commute
Later on, diminishing jobs opportunities in the city, so people went where the work was

Question 28

Why were businesses attracted to the suburbs?

Answer 28

Cheaper land
Good transport links
Good communication links

Question 29

Ethnic distribution

Answer 29

Whites north of 8 mile
Blacks south of 8 mile (housing discrimination)
POLARISED city

Question 30

What caused 25,000 workers to go on strike in 1943?

Answer 30

Packard Motor Car Company promoting 3 black employees

Question 31

Average yearly earnings in the suburbs?

Who lives there?

Answer 31

$200,000

Whites and rich (normally third generation) blacks

Question 32

Average yearly earnings in the city?

Who lives there?

Answer 32

$7,000-$49,000

Blacks and poor whites

Question 33

Which road is constantly blocked so the white residents can separate themselves from the blacks? (Racial and economic divide)

Answer 33

Alter Road

Blocked using snow, fences, concrete walls

Question 34

What was the problem with the police force during the riots?

Answer 34

Most officers were white

Question 35

What worsened the 1967 riot?

Answer 35

Police officers are alleged to have murdered 3 black men

Question 36

Impacts of the 1967 riot?

Answer 36

Businesses looted
Many left dead or injured
Much of the damage was never repaired

Question 37

When was Motown Music founded?

Why did Motown Music play an important part in racial integration?

Answer 37

1959
Music performed written by black and white people- everyone listened i.e. Jackson 5
Normalised black people being seen on TV

Question 38

What can we infer about Detroit from the Red Hot Chilli Pepper song ‘Detroit’?

Answer 38

‘Rolling rings of rubber’- cars
‘Decay’ of the city
‘Henry’ Ford- the city rose and fell because of the car

Question 39

What can we infer about Detroit from 8 Mile?

Answer 39

Argues class is more important than race
Evidence of drug and domestic abuse 
Residents have a lack of aspiration 
Lack of law- paintballs shot at police
Low skilled workers with low wages 'can't get by with {their} 9 to 5'

Question 40

Strengths of using 8 Mile?

Answer 40

Highlights key issues i.e. high levels of crime
Gave sense of place
Showed lack of investment

Question 41

Limitations of using 8 Mile?

Answer 41

No time scale
Exaggerated for audiences
No evidence about the rest of Detroit- bias
Only looked at youth
No data

Question 42

4 main factors impacting lived experience

Answer 42

Changing demographics
Cultural change
Economic change
Political impact

Question 43

Qualitative Sources

Answer 43

8 Mile

Red Hot Chilli Pepper- ‘Detroit’

Question 44

Quantitative Sources

Answer 44

Census data

Websites about the riots