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Category: History
Detroit’s past is closely connected to America’s industrial growth, automotive revolution, labor movement, civil rights history, and periods of economic change. Stories in this section examine the people, places, events, and milestones that have shaped the city.
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What Is Labor Day? History, Meaning, and Why We Celebrate
Labor Day is a U.S. federal holiday. It falls on the first Monday of September every year and honors American workers and the labor movement that fought for fair wages, safer workplaces, and reasonable hours along the way. In 2026, that’s September 7. Here’s where the holiday came from, what it actually commemorates, how people…
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Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac: Biography and Legacy
Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac is remembered today as the founder of Detroit, but the man behind that title was born with a different name and a much plainer background than the one he later claimed. He was a French soldier, trader, and colonial administrator who built his career in New France during the late…
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Who Founded Detroit? The 1701 Founding Explained
Who Founded Detroit? The 1701 Founding Explained Detroit was founded by Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, a French military officer and fur trader, on July 24, 1701. Acting under authorization from King Louis XIV, Cadillac led about 100 colonists and soldiers from Montreal to a narrow point along the Detroit River, where they built a…
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