The Growth of Black Elected Officials in the City of Detroit, 1870-1973 (Distinguished Dissertations)

This study examines the stages by which Detroit, beginning with the enfranchisement of Blacks in 1870, achieved the status of having more black elected officials than any other US city by 1974. Stages examined include the effects of ethnic competition with European immigrant groups, the effects of Henry Ford's factories, the Great Depression, and World War II.