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Indian Wars and Frontier Conflicts

Detroit Race Riot

1943
Michigan
Era
Indian Wars and Frontier Conflicts
Year
1943
Location
Michigan
Status
Historical record
The Battle

History & Significance

Detroit Race Riot was a Indian Wars and Frontier Conflicts engagement fought in Michigan, 1943. It was a White rioters / Federal government (tactical) victory.

One of the most serious racial uprisings in American history, occurring during WWII when 200,000 Black workers had migrated to Detroit for war industry jobs. Overcrowded housing and white resistance to Black access to public facilities and housing was the underlying cause. President Roosevelt's deployment of federal troops was a significant federal use of military force in a domestic racial conflict. The riot had parallels in other war industry cities.

Result
White rioters / Federal government (tactical) victory
Forces engaged
White mobs vs. Black residents; eventually ~6,000 federal troops under Major General Henry Aurand deployed to restore order
Casualties
34 killed, 433 injured, 1,800+ arrested
Outcome
34 killed (25 Black, 9 white); 433 injured; $2 million in property damage. Federal troops restored order after three days. Most of the killing was done by whites; most of those arrested were Black.

Approximate location. The nearest recorded settlement is shown; the exact site is unrecorded.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Detroit Race Riot take place?
Detroit Race Riot took place in 1943.
Where was Detroit Race Riot fought?
Detroit Race Riot was fought in Michigan, United States.
What was the significance of Detroit Race Riot?
One of the most serious racial uprisings in American history, occurring during WWII when 200,000 Black workers had migrated to Detroit for war industry jobs. Overcrowded housing and white resistance to Black access to public facilities and housing was the underlying cause. President Roosevelt's depl
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The Land
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Geology
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
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The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
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Protected heritage nearby

Historic Sites near Detroit Race Riot

Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument
Listed · 0 mi
Barlum Tower
Industrial · 0 mi
Vinton Building
Industrial · 0.1 mi
Bagley Memorial Fountain
Listed · 0.1 mi
First Federal Building
Modern · 0.1 mi
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Source

This page is compiled from cited public sources.

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