100 Years Of History
From Black Metropolis to Urban Renewal
More than any other city, Chicago’s culture is defined by its neighborhoods. Chicago’s grid system has been used since its inception in order to segregate communities racially, ethnically, religiously, and economically. This segregation has made one’s neighborhood not just a location, but a reflection of their identity. Few neighborhoods have been shaped more by this history of division than Douglas, which for over a century has been a center of African American culture in the city. The history of racial discrimination in Douglas has created a political community that draws identity from its Blackness, allowing it to remain resilient in the face adversity or prosperity.
Ironically, though the history of Douglas is dominated by African Americans who pushed racial boundaries, the community’s creation is innately tied to the Confederacy and one of the Civil War’s most infamous advocates of white A depiction of Camp Douglas during the civil war Stephen A. Douglas. The neighborhood gets its name from the Illinois Senator, who in 1852, bought the 70 acres of land near the lake, between 33rd street and 35th that would become the nucleus of the Douglas neighborhood. In 1861, shortly after the start of the Civil War, the Union Army founded Camp Douglas as a training ground, but the facility was soon modified to become a POW camp for the Union army, the deplorable of which conditions were estimated to have caused the death of between “5,000 and 6,000 [Confederate] prisoners...while held in A depiction of Camp Douglas during the civil war
Ironically, though the history of Douglas is dominated by African Americans who pushed racial boundaries, the community’s creation is innately tied to the Confederacy and one of the Civil War’s most infamous advocates of white A depiction of Camp Douglas during the civil war Stephen A. Douglas. The neighborhood gets its name from the Illinois Senator, who in 1852, bought the 70 acres of land near the lake, between 33rd street and 35th that would become the nucleus of the Douglas neighborhood. In 1861, shortly after the start of the Civil War, the Union Army founded Camp Douglas as a training ground, but the facility was soon modified to become a POW camp for the Union army, the deplorable of which conditions were estimated to have caused the death of between “5,000 and 6,000 [Confederate] prisoners...while held in A depiction of Camp Douglas during the civil war
After the war, the camp was torn down, and Douglas became populated by predominantly Jewish residents, and growing through the 1880s to include working class German, Irish, Scottish, and English, who were employed mostly at the nearby meat-packing industry, railroad shops, and breweries. These groups transformed Douglas from wreckage of the POW camp, into a community, building homes, businesses, and religious institutions, that gave the neighborhood infrastructure. Douglas would not begin to find an identity as community though, until the 1890s, at which point African Americans began move into Douglas. This migration of African American to the Douglas was spurred on by working class whites in the city who had “responded...protectively when faced with the possibility of black neighbors” (Grossman 175) using legal covenants to prevent black homeownership in their communities, forcing African Americans to live in cluster of neighborhoods on the South Side. This area would become known as the “Black Belt”, and the isolation of Douglas within it would spur the neighborhood residents to become independent from the white community, and form a area that was self serving. At the turn of the century Douglas experienced unprecedented, investment, entrepreneurship, and artistic creativity that formed a culture that celebrated and validated Black residents.
The creation of the Black Belt also led to the creation of Bronzeville within Douglas, a community that would become cultural and business center for Blacks in Chicago. Bronzeville created an “interconnectedness of the business, political, and service communities”(Jackson). Black entrepreneurs were able to work to get black politicians elected that could help finance their business and ensure their interests were represented. This, along with the large population of black consumers packed into the community, guaranteed the success of black businesses throughout Douglas. Some business included Ebony Magazine, Chicago Defender, and Supreme Life Insurance Company (Bronzeville Case Study). The success of black businesses led to the development of iconic cultural hotspots. Both Blacks and Whites flocked to cafes, such as the Sunset Cafe, which housed prominent jazz artists such as Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole (Douglas). As a result of interracial discrimination that packed Blacks into what would become Bronzeville, Black Americans were able to develop a thriving community filled with strong business and arts.
However, this ‘Black Metropolis’ would not last for long. When the Great Depression hit in the early 1930s, “most of the black-owned banks and businesses went out of business” in Bronzeville (Douglas). Racial politics again came into play when Chicago’s real-estate industry severely limited black opportunities to create more businesses. This had devastating effects on the community; middle-class houses would have to be converted into apartments that would eventually fall into ruin. Further harm was done to the community when the Chicago Housing Authority initiated a large scale Urban Renewal project that specifically targeted Douglas through the 1940s to 1960s. The project created Robert Taylor Homes, Dearborn Homes, Harold Ickes Homes, Stateway Gardens, and Raymond Hillard Homes, forming what was called the ‘Chicago Housing Authority State Street Corridor’(Jackson). This ‘corridor’ of housing was used to contain blacks in Douglas by preventing them from moving east of the Dan Ryan Expressway (Jackson). These housing projects created large crime and poverty in the black community there. Famous cafes and other cultural landmarks in Bronzeville were replaced with “low end” stores such as fried chicken and liquor stores due to poverty (Jackson). Chicago politics worked to eliminated key aspects of Black culture in Bronzeville. Chicago politicized the Black identity, and created policies that, over time, decimated the prospering community of Bronzeville, and stagnating its development into the early 2000s.
Though the marks of social and economic displacement created by Urban Renewal are still visible in present day Douglas, the community is increasingly begin to show a resurgence. Change has been slow due in part to neighborhoods crime rate, in the area which is higher than the city average, and the struggle to attract commerce to the area. In spite of these challenges, Douglas residents remain firm in their dedication to the neighborhood and the community has retained a predominantly black population in the face of gentrification. The area has drawn new interest by promoting its history of black achievement in both art and business, and in the process residents have found new affirmation in their identity as a community in which African Americans break boundaries. Douglas and Bronzeville remain a symbol for African Americans across the country of Black resistance to accepting an identity as the victim, and the ability to redefine discrimination as a means of empowerment and uplift.
Works Cited
"Bronzeville Case Study." Urban Juncture. Urban Juncture, n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.
"Camp Douglas September 1861-December 1865 (A Chicago Story That Must Be Told)." Camp Douglas Restoration Foundation (2013): 1-19. Http://www.campdouglas.org/. Camp Douglas Restoration Foundation, Dec. 2013. Web. 11 May 2016.
"Douglas." Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago History Museum, 2004. Web. 12 May 2016.
Jackson, Maze. "Bronzeville: Boom or Bust?" Chicago Defender. Chicago Defender, 20 Aug. 2015. Web. 12 May 2016.
Schlabach, Elizabeth Schroeder. "Conclusion." Along the Streets of Bronzeville: Black Chicago's Literary Landscape. Chicago: U of Illinois, 2013. 118-26. Print.
However, this ‘Black Metropolis’ would not last for long. When the Great Depression hit in the early 1930s, “most of the black-owned banks and businesses went out of business” in Bronzeville (Douglas). Racial politics again came into play when Chicago’s real-estate industry severely limited black opportunities to create more businesses. This had devastating effects on the community; middle-class houses would have to be converted into apartments that would eventually fall into ruin. Further harm was done to the community when the Chicago Housing Authority initiated a large scale Urban Renewal project that specifically targeted Douglas through the 1940s to 1960s. The project created Robert Taylor Homes, Dearborn Homes, Harold Ickes Homes, Stateway Gardens, and Raymond Hillard Homes, forming what was called the ‘Chicago Housing Authority State Street Corridor’(Jackson). This ‘corridor’ of housing was used to contain blacks in Douglas by preventing them from moving east of the Dan Ryan Expressway (Jackson). These housing projects created large crime and poverty in the black community there. Famous cafes and other cultural landmarks in Bronzeville were replaced with “low end” stores such as fried chicken and liquor stores due to poverty (Jackson). Chicago politics worked to eliminated key aspects of Black culture in Bronzeville. Chicago politicized the Black identity, and created policies that, over time, decimated the prospering community of Bronzeville, and stagnating its development into the early 2000s.
Though the marks of social and economic displacement created by Urban Renewal are still visible in present day Douglas, the community is increasingly begin to show a resurgence. Change has been slow due in part to neighborhoods crime rate, in the area which is higher than the city average, and the struggle to attract commerce to the area. In spite of these challenges, Douglas residents remain firm in their dedication to the neighborhood and the community has retained a predominantly black population in the face of gentrification. The area has drawn new interest by promoting its history of black achievement in both art and business, and in the process residents have found new affirmation in their identity as a community in which African Americans break boundaries. Douglas and Bronzeville remain a symbol for African Americans across the country of Black resistance to accepting an identity as the victim, and the ability to redefine discrimination as a means of empowerment and uplift.
Works Cited
"Bronzeville Case Study." Urban Juncture. Urban Juncture, n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.
"Camp Douglas September 1861-December 1865 (A Chicago Story That Must Be Told)." Camp Douglas Restoration Foundation (2013): 1-19. Http://www.campdouglas.org/. Camp Douglas Restoration Foundation, Dec. 2013. Web. 11 May 2016.
"Douglas." Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago History Museum, 2004. Web. 12 May 2016.
Jackson, Maze. "Bronzeville: Boom or Bust?" Chicago Defender. Chicago Defender, 20 Aug. 2015. Web. 12 May 2016.
Schlabach, Elizabeth Schroeder. "Conclusion." Along the Streets of Bronzeville: Black Chicago's Literary Landscape. Chicago: U of Illinois, 2013. 118-26. Print.