CITY ON THE WATER
CHAPTER ONE
Walk Through the Valley opens with an overview of what makes the city of Detroit such a unique and special American city. The city’s impact on the world, from Motown to Motor City is explored, captured with aerial views of the city. The chapter also details the significance of Detroit’s location on the Detroit River, being an international waterway.
THE SETTLEMENT OF DETROIT
CHAPTER TWO
Detroit’s early history is explored though historical documents as Walk Through the Valley travels back in time to its early periods of Native American settlement and its subsequent French, British and American occupations. The subject of slavery in the north is discussed in addition to detailing some of Detroit’s earliest notable figures, from Antoine Cadillac to Augustus B. Woodward.
FREE STATE
CHAPTER THREE
Free State details the history of resistance against slavery in Detroit, told through the tale of Thornton and Lucy Blackburn, a married couple forced to flee from Detroit to Canada due to the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act. Also explored is Detroit’s role as a stop in the Underground Railroad, highlighting key figures in the abolitionist movement.
ED VAUGHN
DR. MELBA BOYD
MICHAEL IMHOTEP
PROF. MICHAEL GRIGGS
HELEN MOORE
JAMON JORDAN
HERB BOYD
DR. CLAUD ANDERSON
PROF. TIYA MILES
SHARON SEXTON
THE GREAT MIGRATION
CHAPTER FOUR
The legacies of Henry Ford and Barry Gordy are superimposed onto one another as the shaping of Detroit in the 20th century is examined with a focus on the transformation of the city with the auto industry boom and the coming of southern migrants during the “Great Migration.”