The prizewinning, nationally celebrated account of the slave
origins of a major northern city
A brilliant paradigm-shifting book that “transports the reader back
to the eighteenth century and brings to life a multiracial community
that began in slavery” (The New York Times), The Dawn of Detroit
reveals for the first time that slavery was at the heart of the
Midwest’s iconic city. Hailed by Publishers Weekly in a starred
review as “a necessary work of powerful, probing scholarship,”
The Dawn of Detroit meticulously uncovers the experience of
the unfree—both native and African American—in a place wildly
remote yet at the center of national and international conflict.
Tiya Miles has
skillfully assembled fragments of a distant historical record,
introducing new historical figures and unearthing struggles that
remained hidden from view until now. “In her eloquent account,”
the Washington Post declared, “Miles conjures up a city of stark
disparity and lives quashed.”
A message from the
past for our troubled present, The Dawn of Detroit is “an
outstanding contribution that seeks to integrate the entirety of U.S.
history, admirable and ugly, to offer a more holistic understanding
of the country” (Booklist, starred review).