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People also ask
Who founded the city of Detroit?
Who settled Detroit Michigan?
How did Detroit get its name?
Why was Detroit important in the 18th century?
Detroit, the largest city in the state of Michigan, was settled in 1701 by French colonists. It is the first European settlement above tidewater in North America. [1] Founded as a New France fur trading post, it began to expand during the 19th century with U.S. settlement around the Great Lakes.
Learn how Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded the city of Detroit in 1701 as a French outpost on the Detroit River, a waterway connecting Lakes Erie and Huron. Explore the history of the French-Indian relationship, the fur trade, the Native population and the British takeover of Detroit.
- Overview
- History of Detroit
In the early 18th century Detroit became an important fur-trading post. In 1760, during the French and Indian War, it was surrendered to the British. France’s Indian allies, notably the Ottawa under Chief Pontiac, tried to capture the fort in 1763 but were defeated. The Jay Treaty (November 19, 1794) provided for the evacuation of the U.S. control.
In 1805 Detroit became the capital of the newly created Michigan Territory. In that same year a fire destroyed many buildings, and the town had to be rebuilt. Soon after the outbreak of the War of 1812, Detroit was again surrendered to the British, but the Americans recaptured it in September 1813. In 1815 Detroit was incorporated as a city.
In 1818 the first steamboat on the upper Great Lakes began regular runs between Buffalo, New York, and Detroit. Grain and other agricultural produce poured into the city by rail and water for processing and forwarding to other parts of the United States and to Europe. Detroit became one of the flour-milling centres of the country. It was the capital of the state of Michigan from its creation in 1837 until 1847, when the capital was moved to Lansing.
Following the American Civil War (1861–65), Detroit changed from its early role as a rural merchant to that of industrial magnate. It became the automobile capital of the world with the help of the manufacturer Henry Ford, who introduced the assembly line in 1914. Detroit’s industrial development accelerated during World War I, when it was an important producer of military armaments, and it attracted a large number of migrants, particularly African Americans from the South. In 1943 fighting broke out between whites and blacks in the city, and racial tension continued to be an issue in subsequent decades, often manifesting as “white flight,” the departure of whites from Detroit proper to the surrounding suburbs.
Sparked by a police raid on an unlicensed after-hours drinking establishment on July 23, 1967, five days of unchecked rioting in the city left 43 dead, almost 1,200 injured, and huge swaths of property destroyed by looting or fire before order was restored by the police, National Guardsmen, and U.S. Army troops. In the wake of the riot, white flight accelerated, and the sense of desperation and hopelessness that gripped the inner city was perhaps most clearly seen in Devil’s Night—a pre-Halloween tradition “celebrated” with looting and arson.
Many saw the election in 1973 of Detroit’s first African American mayor, Coleman Young, who would serve an unprecedented five terms, as a turning point. The construction of the Renaissance Center in 1977 rejuvenated the city’s declining riverfront. However, it failed to serve as an anchor for wider development, and the loss of jobs in the automotive industry brought new economic hardship and social problems. Moreover, in the last two decades of the 20th century, Detroit continued to suffer economically, and by the mid-1990s its population had fallen to half its peak in the 1950s.
In the early 18th century Detroit became an important fur-trading post. In 1760, during the French and Indian War, it was surrendered to the British. France’s Indian allies, notably the Ottawa under Chief Pontiac, tried to capture the fort in 1763 but were defeated. The Jay Treaty (November 19, 1794) provided for the evacuation of the U.S. control.
In 1805 Detroit became the capital of the newly created Michigan Territory. In that same year a fire destroyed many buildings, and the town had to be rebuilt. Soon after the outbreak of the War of 1812, Detroit was again surrendered to the British, but the Americans recaptured it in September 1813. In 1815 Detroit was incorporated as a city.
In 1818 the first steamboat on the upper Great Lakes began regular runs between Buffalo, New York, and Detroit. Grain and other agricultural produce poured into the city by rail and water for processing and forwarding to other parts of the United States and to Europe. Detroit became one of the flour-milling centres of the country. It was the capital of the state of Michigan from its creation in 1837 until 1847, when the capital was moved to Lansing.
Following the American Civil War (1861–65), Detroit changed from its early role as a rural merchant to that of industrial magnate. It became the automobile capital of the world with the help of the manufacturer Henry Ford, who introduced the assembly line in 1914. Detroit’s industrial development accelerated during World War I, when it was an important producer of military armaments, and it attracted a large number of migrants, particularly African Americans from the South. In 1943 fighting broke out between whites and blacks in the city, and racial tension continued to be an issue in subsequent decades, often manifesting as “white flight,” the departure of whites from Detroit proper to the surrounding suburbs.
Sparked by a police raid on an unlicensed after-hours drinking establishment on July 23, 1967, five days of unchecked rioting in the city left 43 dead, almost 1,200 injured, and huge swaths of property destroyed by looting or fire before order was restored by the police, National Guardsmen, and U.S. Army troops. In the wake of the riot, white flight accelerated, and the sense of desperation and hopelessness that gripped the inner city was perhaps most clearly seen in Devil’s Night—a pre-Halloween tradition “celebrated” with looting and arson.
Many saw the election in 1973 of Detroit’s first African American mayor, Coleman Young, who would serve an unprecedented five terms, as a turning point. The construction of the Renaissance Center in 1977 rejuvenated the city’s declining riverfront. However, it failed to serve as an anchor for wider development, and the loss of jobs in the automotive industry brought new economic hardship and social problems. Moreover, in the last two decades of the 20th century, Detroit continued to suffer economically, and by the mid-1990s its population had fallen to half its peak in the 1950s.
This essay reviews the history of that settlement from its founding until Michigan was admitted into the Union as a state in 1837. Although organized chronologically, this essay places the city's time line in the context of national and international events that shaped its destiny.
6 days ago · Detroit, city, seat of Wayne county, southeastern Michigan, U.S. It is located on the Detroit River (connecting Lakes Erie and St. Clair) opposite Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1701 by a French trader, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, who built a fort on the river and named it Fort.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Learn about Detroit's rich and diverse history, from its Native American origins to its automotive and musical legacies. Explore the city's landmarks, museums, neighborhoods and cultural influences.
Important history of America and the Detroit area are exhibited at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, the United States' largest indoor-outdoor museum complex. The Detroit Historical Society provides information about tours of area churches, skyscrapers, and mansions. Inside Detroit hosts tours, educational programming, and a downtown welcome center.
