ABSTRACT
Construction of the Erie Canal in 1825 greatly enhanced Detroit’s economy as it opened up the region to settlers from New England and New York. Detroit’s workforce development director cited efforts to ease diploma verification, training programs for healthcare jobs, and prion re-entry services as factors contributing to the decline. Political scientist James Q. Wilson stated that Mayor Young rejected the goal of quiet integration in favor of a more flamboyant, black-power style that won him followers, but he left the city a fiscal and social wreck. Race and class tension characterize the political and social environment of Detroit. These tensions periodically erupted in riots and led to a massive out-migration of whites from the city. A review of historical trends on various social, economic, and demographic trends is instructive in documenting the fall of Detroit.
