A-plus writer

Urban Politics in the United States

Research Paper Topic: Detroit after the 1967 Riot

Due: Refer to schedule on the home page

July 23-27, 1967 was the time period of the major riot in Detroit. This was the most devastating riot to occur in American history and also more deaths occurred than in any other riot. There were concerns in Detroit prior to the riot which included: employment, housing, police and educational issues.

Yet Detroit, at the time of the riot, was considered to be a “Model City.” Detroit’s Model City designation was in large part the work of Jerome Cavanagh who was the best known and most glamorous city mayor of the time and he was credited with effective work in the area of race relations. Some of the earliest federal funds to cities for assistance in working with the problems of poverty went to Detroit. In fact, prior to the riot, Detroit received the third highest amount of federal funds to fight poverty- behind only New York City and Chicago.

Then, to most observers, the unexpected happened: a major riot.

The Subject of the Paper:

Your research paper on Detroit after the 1967 riot should be written in THREE sections.

Section One: Some say Detroit is in much better shape today than immediately before the 1967 riot while others say the opposite. In what ways is Detroit, today, better than before the riot? In what ways is Detroit, today, worse than before the riot?

Section Two: Who are the “players” (both public and private) who have appeared on the scene since the 1967 riot to date? Which are the most important?

Section Three: Is Detroit in the process of “turning the corner” and moving ahead or is Detroit “losing ground” as we look to the future? Answer this question by discussing ONE of the following THREE items. Use no more than THREE of the FOURTEEN sources for this section.

1. Robert Bobb and School Reform

2. Mayor Dave Bing’s Proposals for Detroit

3. The suggested “Greening of Detroit.”

The Format of the Paper:

Format: Be sure to divide your paper into Section One, Section Two and Section Three.

Length: Five full pages. Title page and source/bibliography page do not count as any of the five pages.

Sources: A minimum of 14 sources are required to be used and cited WITHIN the paper. A bibliography of all sources is required.

Style manual: You should use the Modern Language Association (MLA) style manual. If you have any questions about how to format the paper or cite your sources, you can find information on MLA on the Internet from various credible sites in addition to consulting the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th edition (2003) which can be found at Waldo Library in the Reference Desk Collection (LB 2369 .G53 2003). You also can find information sheets on style manuals including MLA at the Reference Desk at Waldo.

Some suggested sources:

Do not use Wikipedia.

Databases: Go to www.wmu.edu/library to the home page for Western Michigan University’s Libraries. The following databases can be found in the center column under A-Z List of Article Indexes and Databases. Some of these have articles from journals or newsmagazines, others come from newspapers. These are just suggestions. You can try and search through others which are available to you. You should be able to access these databases with your BronoNet ID.

Article First

Expanded Academic ASAP

Info Trac One File

Info Trac Custom Newspapers

Lexis Nexis Academic

Lexis Nexis Guided News Search

Newsbank

Newsbank Newsfile

New York Times (1851-2003)

PAIS International

ProQuest Research Library

Readers Guide Abstracts

Wall Street Journal

If you have any questions about how to use these databases contact the librarians at Waldo.

Books: There are books on this subject. If you go to Waldo Library or any other academic or public library you will find reference books on cities and urban issues they face. These include:

Encyclopedia of Urban America: The Cities and Suburbs HT 123 .E5 1998 (Ref)

Encyclopedia of Urban Cultures HT 108.5 .E5 2002 (Ref)

Urban Politics Dictionary JS 48 .S65 1990 (Ref)

For statistical information on Detroit:

County and City Data Book: 2000. 13th ed. HA 202 .A36 2000 (Reference Desk Collection)

County and City Extra HA 203 .C68 2002 (Reference Desk Collection)

America’s Top-Rated Cities: A Statistical Handbook. 9th ed. HT 123 .A669 2002 (Reference Desk Collection)

Profiles of America: Facts, Figures & Statistics for Every Populated Place in the United States. HT 123 .P7624 2003 (Ref)