Detroit was once the mecca for workers pursuing the American dream. In the early 1900’s an innovative inventor named Henry Ford brought mass production of the automobile to this area, turning Detroit into a beacon of opportunity and economic success for many. This Automotive Industry has been at the base of Detroit’s economy for decades; however, it’s not like it once was. During the 20th century the auto industry had many high and lows. Many factors lead to the recent downturn of this industry that led to mass layoffs and displaced workers, which had a negative impact on Detroit, as well as the United States economy.
To begin, Motor City wouldn’t be Motor City if it weren’t for Henry Ford and other automotive innovators. Bentley Historical Library (University of Michigan) researched the roots of the Automotive Industries. The article shows sufficient information regarding Ford and GMs ideas of mass production. They brought new ideas, new methods, and new fabrication to the city. Thousands migrated to the inner city for the numerous automotive manufacturing jobs being offered. Ford had presented “Five Dollars a Day Jobs.” He was offering eager workers top dollar for their work input. The news of Ford’s proposal spread like a wildfire through the American population, by means of newspaper, and constant chatter. African Americans retreated to the North to leave the suppressing, segregated South. Poles, Germans, and other European groups also rushed to Detroit to grab their share of work. Henry Ford required an immense working force to run his industrial empire. In essence, they all migrated to Detroit seeking economic opportunity and a stable living. From here, manufacturing and growth could only get enriched.
The auto fac...
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Edward Keenan discusses in his article, “What do Torontonians really want their city to be?”, that the people and the politicians of Toronto want to have a great city, but they do not have the funding or the budgeting in place to make the plans transpire. Mr. Keenan quoted Toronto’s city manager, Peter Wallace as saying, “areas of really big failure”, in spite of the successes that have been seen in the city. In Mr. Keenan’s words, this is in relation to the “congestion and transit, housing, and child poverty” issues. In the article Mr. Keenan describes how Peter Wallace showed slides of the steady decline of revenue and told how the politicians kept voting to decrease it. Mr. Wallace went on to say that the government has really great
Daley, Matthew L. "Detroit." Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 3rd ed. Vol. 3." Sons, Charles Scribner's. Detroit." Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 3rd ed. Vol. 3. New York: web, 2003. 19-21.
As a result of the development of self-powered automobiles and the American Interstate Highway System, the auto industry in Detroit was booming in 1932. In fact, majority of the jobs were in the manufacturing sector.
High educated and talented people is the fundamental for the economic development in the cities. In Detroit, many workers in the car industries are either unskilled or low skilled workers with only high school diplomas simply because of those works do not need special talents or skills in order to have the work done. Due to the division of labor, large jobs are breaking down into many tiny components. “Under this regime each worker becomes an expert in one isolated area of production, thus increasing his efficiency” (Adam Smith). Detroit was not creating suitable jobs for high educated or professional people to work there; therefore, it caused the brain drain. Brain drain by definition means “the departure of educated or professional people from one country, economic sector, or field for another usually for better pay or living conditions (Merriam Webster Dictionary). This means that high skil...
My answer to the naysayers who think it’s rather impossible to re-build Detroit’s Neighborhoods and bring change to the city is to stop wasting money in other places and worry about the places within your own reach how can we fix other places problems outside the US without even fixing home base first. It’s time for everyone to get on one accord and start rebuilding Detroit step by step so we can get back to being one of the best cities in America and people can start investing in Detroit more as well starting back living and working there.
2. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008. 166-173. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
The city of Detroit, Michigan has always been known as the motor city for its car plants, a.k.a. “The Big Three” and Motown records, a.k.a. “Hitsville U.S.A.”. These are just some of the many things that made Detroit one of the thriving and driven cities within the United States. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end Detroit knows this hardship all too well. Detroit a city that once flowed with economic resources now struggles to compete with other major cities economically. Detroit is now known for crime, violence, a failing school system, and corrupt political figures. These and other negative effects on the city have caused major corporations to move to Detroit’s surrounding neighboring cities. Where did the city of Detroit go wrong? Can Detroit ever recover from such a heavy deficit? And if so, where would the city begin?
Some of the many factories to be affected by these economic changes were those owned by GM in Flint, Michigan. By first laying off thousands of workers and then closing the plants altogether, GM ultimately eliminated over 30,000 jobs in the city of Flint.
...and Revitalization in the Rust Belt: A report of findings from the University of Michigan’s
In the documentary, “Cleveland: Confronting Decline in an American City” the short movie analyses the great risk confronting Cleveland as a city as result of deterioration and dilapidation of the urban core. The documentary discusses factors that are responsible for this problem and possible solutions; as this has become a phenomenon, not just in Cleveland but other major US cities. The issue of the urban decline in most cities cuts across people, commerce, and the economy in general. However, the questions of how most cities arrived at their current predicament, consequences of abandoning these concerns, and what can be done to reverse the bad situation, remain unanswered.
Over the past couple of years Detroit has been faced with many layoffs. Two major causes for layoffs were the Big Three Automobile companies and Detroit filing for bankruptcy. July 2013, Detroit had to file for bankruptcy. With filing for bankruptcy, it caused many people to lose their jobs because Detroit was trying to cut back on spending. People many people suffered from Detroit filing for bankruptcy, because people from outside the city come to the city to work for big corporations mainly in downtown Detroit. Over the years the automobile companies have also been hit with a major crisis due to a decline in sales. While the city dealt with the Big Three Crisis and bankruptcy Detroit’s communities and foreclosures began to be a problem.
The biggest problem with not having a sophisticated public infrastructure is that it promotes sprawl. Since so many people in the Motor City owned a car, they all moved away, opting to live in the suburbs and just commuting to downtown for work. Additionally, as people moved out, businesses eventually followed, leading to even fewer opportunities in this once great city (Detroit 2012). After all who moved away the only ones left were those of low class. The gangs and poor of the city were what was left and till this day it is not enough to keep the city running like it should. Unemployment and other factors cause people to reach their limit and decide it is okay to rob those who have a little more than they do. It also leads to selling illegal substances both of these are classified as crimes. Once a person begins committing a crime it’s just matter of time for theme to start committing violent crimes which leads to jail. Today with a population of 707,096 it is at 2% the safest city; theres is a 79.15% annual crime rate (Crime Rate). It is considered to be one of the most dangerous cities in
Starting in the 1920’s America began its shift towards a consumer culture as the economic growth of the nation began to depend more on the proliferation of consumer goods than of capital goods. Even at the outset of this trend, the automobile held a significant place in the new consumer economy. The automobile, which was once thought of as a rare luxury, was being sold by the millions. Assembly lines were becoming more efficient, thus allowing cars to be made more cheaply allowing the price of automobiles to drop. The growth of the automobile helped stimulate the economy through its dependence on other industries such as glass, rubber and steel, which were connected to the production of cars. These automobile related industries created new jobs, greater affluence and more spending power for millions of American consumers. Even at the beginning of America’s transformation into the consumer culture of today the automobile was at the forefront this conversion.