The Races in Detroit

The Black Migration to Detroit
Black Population in Detroit, 1870-1930
Increase in Black Population in Detroit 1910-1930 Compared to Other Cities

Race and Politics in Detroit

Race and Housing in Detroit

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Increase in Black Population of Detroit Compared to Other Cities, 1910-1930

CITY
% INCREASE, 1910-30
 BLACK POP. IN 1910
BLACK POP. IN 1920
BLACK POP. IN 1930
DETROIT
1,991%
5,741
40,838
120,066
CLEVELAND
751%
8,448
34,451
71,899
CHICAGO
430%
44,103
109,458
233,903
NEW YORK
257%
91,709
152, 467
327,706
PHILADELPHIA
160%
84,459
134,229
219,599
PITTSBURGH
115%
25,623
37,725
54,983
BIRMINGHAM
89%
52,305
70,230
99,077
MEMPHIS
84%
52,441
61,181
96,550
ATLANTA
74%
51,902
62,796
90,075

Black Population in Detroit, 1870-1930
 
 
 

Race and Politics in Detroit

Detroit's 1924 Mayoralty Election


Candidate
Primary Issues
Main Supporters
Votes Received
Votes Received in 6 most heavily black precincts
John Smith
 Control of Klan, more and better services
Recent immigrants, Catholics, blacks
116,775
4,355
Charles Bowles
Strict law enforcement, American values
KKK, white lower and middle-class Protestants
102,602**
7
Joseph Martin
Clean government, better services
Businessmen
84,462
Not reported in source

    ** Bowles was a write-in candidate.  Had ballots with misspellings of his name been counted, he would have won the election by over 1,000 votes.

     Bowles and Smith faced off again in the 1925 Mayor's race.  Smith won, this time by a vote of 140,000 to 110,000.