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From 1805 to 1847, Detroit was the capital of Michigan as a territory and as a state. ... Detroit became the largest U.S. city to file for bankruptcy. [96]
Mar 30, 2017 · When Michigan became a territory in 1805, Detroit was named territorial capital – and for good reason. “It was the largest city, certainly, and it was also accessible by water, which was very important in an era when roads are, at best, terrible in most places,” said Valerie Marvin , Michigan state Capitol historian.
Several times during Young's tenure Detroit was named the arson capital of the U.S., and repeatedly the murder capital of the United States. Often Detroit was listed by FBI crime statistics as the "most dangerous city in America" during his administration. Crime rates in Detroit peaked in 1991 at more than 2,700 violent crimes per 100,000 people.
Then, in 1805, Congress created the Territory of Michigan and chose General William Hull as its first governor. On July 1, 1805, Detroit became the capital of the new territory, with various locations in the city serving at different times as the seat of government.
- 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.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
In 1805, the U.S. Congress created the Michigan Territory, with Detroit as its territorial capital. [4] Michigan first applied for statehood as early as 1832, though it was rebuffed due to a dispute with Ohio over the Toledo Strip, a 468-square mile (1,210 km 2) area that included the important port city of Toledo. By 1835, Michigan had formed ...
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1804: The United States opens a land office in Detroit. 1805: Michigan Territory is separated from the Indiana Territory, with Detroit as its capital. William Hull is made territorial governor. 1805: June 11. Detroit is destroyed by fire when baker John Harvey allegedly sets his barn ablaze with ashes from his pipe.
