Detroit Race Riot (1863)

The Detroit Race Riot of 1863 occurred during the American Civil War on March 6, 1863 in the city of Detroit, Michigan. At the time, it was reported as “the bloodiest day that ever dawned upon Detroit.” It began due to unrest related to racism and the military draft.^[1].

While not as famous or destructive as riots later in Detroit’s history, the riot of 1863 was certainly a momentous occasion for the city of Detroit.^[2] The casualties of the day included at least two innocent people dead, a multitude of others, mostly African-American, mercilessly beaten. 35 buildings were burned to the ground, and a number of other buildings were damaged by fire.^[2]

The riot resulted in the creation of a full-time police force for Detroit.^[3]

See also

Detroit portal

• Great Lakes Patrol
• Detroit Race Riot (1943)
• 1967 Detroit riot

References

1. ^ Detroit Free Press, March 7, 1863
2. ^ ^{a b} Kundinger, Matthew (2006). "Racial Rhetoric: The Detroit Free Press and Its Part in the Detroit Race Riot of 1863". University of Michigan. http://www.umich.edu/~historyj/pages_folder/articles/Racial_Rhetoric.pdf. Retrieved 2011-02-24. 
3. ^ Willis Frederick Dunbar; George S. May (July 1995). Michigan: a history of the Wolverine State. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 335. ISBN 9780802870551. http://books.google.com/books?id=HqGWEAnByeMC&pg=PA335. Retrieved 24 February 2011. 

Further reading

• Richard Walter Thomas (1992). Life for us is what we make it: building Black community in Detroit, 1915-1945. Indiana University Press. pp. 5–7. ISBN 9780253359902. http://books.google.com/books?id=7QRlTVeuMdEC&pg=PA6. Retrieved 24 February 2011. 
• Arthur M. Woodford (1 June 2001). This is Detroit, 1701-2001. Wayne State University Press. p. 71. ISBN 9780814329146. http://books.google.com/books?id=cVP055AfqNEC&pg=PA71. Retrieved 24 February 2011. 

External links

• A Thrilling Narrative from the Lips of the Sufferers of the Late Detroit Riot, March 6, 1863, With the Hair Breadth Escapes of Men, Women and Children, and Destruction of Colored Men's Property Detroit: The Author, 1863.
• Matthew Kundinger. Racial Rhetoric: The Detroit Free Press and Its Part in the Detroit Race Riot of 1863." Michigan Journal of History. Winter, 2006.