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Quote by David Maraniss

“There was a precarious balance during those crucial months between composition and decomposition - what the world gained and what a great city lost. Even then, some part of Detroit was dying, and that is where the story begins.”

Quote by David Maraniss

Book:Once in a Great City: A Detroit Story

Work

Once in a Great City: A Detroit Story

This book delves into the evolution of Detroit, offering insights into its past, present, and future. It examines the city's rise as an industrial powerhouse, its decline, and the ongoing efforts to revitalize it. more

Author

David Maraniss is an American journalist renowned for his in-depth investigative reporting and biographical writing. Born in 1949, he graduated from Harvard University and has worked for prominent media outlets such as The Washington Post and Sports Illustrated. Maraniss's work is known for its thorough research and vivid narrative style, and his biographies have won numerous awards. more

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“Well, here you had a city that was selling more cars than ever before, that had this wondrous music being created, that was so vital to the labor and civil rights of this country, and yet it was dying and didn't see it, except for some sociologist at Wayne State University who predicted that Detroit was losing population by a half-million by the end of that '60s decade, and that that trend would continue taking away its tax base.”

“Originally, John Kennedy was going to come speak, and then Lyndon Johnson. Because it was October of '62, neither made it because of the Cuban missile crisis.”

Made Speak Crisis Made It Johnson October Missiles Cuban John Kennedy Cuban Missile Crisis

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“And all of the big shots of the car industry are there, strutting their stuff. And that year, they're feeling especially good because cars were selling more than ever before.”

Years Feelings Bigs Stuff Car Industry Shots Selling Big Shots Strutting Selling More

Author:David Maraniss

“Well, there were several things. One was that the industry itself built in Detroit was abandoning the city - taking factories elsewhere, the corporate headquarters elsewhere.”

Wells Cities Industry Built Corporate Factories Elsewhere Detroit Headquarters

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“And then the industry itself was so cocky about what they were doing that they weren't seeing what was coming on the horizon with Japan and Germany and other places that were building smaller cars.”

Seeing Car Building Industry Germany Japan Horizon Cocky

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“And that John F. Kennedy uttered the first variation of "ask not what your country can do for you" in Detroit on Labor Day in 1960. So Detroit was really central to Democratic politics United States. Every Democratic candidate would start their fall campaigns in Cadillac Square.”

Firsts Country States Fall Asks Can Do United United States Labor Democratic Campaigns Candidates Squares 1960s Variation Detroit Labor Day Cadillacs

Author:David Maraniss

“It was so crucial to the Civil Rights Movement that on June 23, 1963, Martin Luther King came to town, walked down Woodward Avenue with more than 100,000 people and delivered the first major public iteration of his "I Have A Dream" speech, two months before he did it in Washington.”

People Firsts Two Dream Rights Movement Months Kings Speech Majors Towns Civil Rights Crucial Luther June Avenues Civil Rights Movement Two Months I Have A Dream Speech

Author:David Maraniss

“Detroit was an exaggeration of what was going on across the country. You could see the divisions, even within the Civil Rights Movement of that period. At the same time that Martin Luther King was talking about his dream, Malcolm X gave his most famous address in Detroit during that same period, "The Message To The Grass Roots," dismissing the notion of integration.”

Country Dream Talking Rights Movement Kings Periods Messages Roots Notion Civil Rights Grass Addresses Division Integration Luther Civil Rights Movement Exaggeration Detroit

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“You also had in Detroit that summer, an early variation of Ferguson. A black prostitute was shot in the back by police. And all of the efforts that a very progressive police chief and mayor of that period had put into trying to restore race relations started to fall apart again, and you could see that unraveling for several years until the riots or rebellion of 1967.”

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Author:David Maraniss

“Well, there is something beautiful about ruins. I mean, in one sense it's not that different from going to Rome and looking at the Forum. But it's changing. It truly is. I'm optimistic but skeptical.”

Wells Mean Different Beautiful Optimistic Ruins Rome Skeptical Something Beautiful Forums

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