RPTM Podcast Episode Seventy One: Bootleggers, Blackouts, and Baffling Architecture

Episode #071: Bootleggers, Blackouts, and Baffling Architecture
11/04/2024

From the defiant days of Prohibition, when Michigan boldly sneered at the ban on booze, to the roaring 1920s, when speakeasies thrived, and Canadian smugglers kept the gin flowing across the Detroit River, Michigan’s story is one of rebellion and resilience. The tale continues into the 1930s when Detroit’s once-pulsing factories fell silent in the Great Depression’s wake. Yet, Michigan’s spirit found a way to endure through community strength and unyielding resolve. Fast-forward to 1943, when Detroit’s simmering racial tensions erupted, forcing the city to confront deep-seated issues that would redefine it forever. And then came Gerald R. Ford—Michigan’s hometown hero from Grand Rapids, a steady, grounded leader whose unlikely path led him to the Oval Office, embodying his home state's unassuming yet determined character.
By 1977, Detroit had turned its gaze toward rebirth, with the gleaming Renaissance Center rising as both a symbol of hope and an emblem of ambition unfulfilled. With its towering skyscrapers and unique design, this architectural marvel stood as a testament to Michigan’s ability to dream big despite hardship. These colorful snapshots—each as messy as they are magnificent—trace Michigan’s journey through defiance, despair, reckoning, and resilience. Together, they create a roadmap of the state’s identity, where every twist, stumble, and triumphant moment is woven into the fabric of Michigan’s character. 
CHAPTERS:

• 0:00 Intro
• 1:51 WDPLT? #1
• 6:17 1920 - Prohibition
• 10:31 1930 - Great Depression
• 15:53 1943 - Detroit Race Riots
• 19:34 1948 - Gerald R. Ford
• 23:45 1977 - Detroit Renaissance Center
• 27:57 Outro

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Hosts:
Ryan Lancaster
ARCHIE
HILDY

Producer: Ryan Lancaster
Executive Producer: Ryan Lancaster
Sound Engineer: Ryan Lancaster
Editor: Ryan Lancaster
Theme Music Composer: Craig Riley
Artwork Design: Ryan Lancaster
Recorded at: Ryan Lancaster Studios

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​Hey, welcome to the work cited section! Here's where you'll find all the heavy hitters that inspired the content you've just consumed. Some might think citations are as dull as unbuttered toast, but nothing gets my intellectual juices flowing like a good reference list. Don't get me wrong, just because we've cited a source; doesn't mean we're always going to see eye-to-eye. But that's the beauty of it - it's up to you to chew on the material and come to conclusions. Listen, we've gone to great lengths to ensure these citations are accurate, but let's face it, we're all human. So, give us a holler if you notice any mistakes or suggest more sources. We're always looking to up our game. Ultimately, it's all about pursuing knowledge and truth. ​
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• Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. New York: The New Press, 2010.
• Bernstein, Michael A. The Great Depression: Delayed Recovery and Economic Change in America, 1929-1939. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987.
• Beschloss, Michael. Ford: The President in the White House. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007.
• Blocker, Jack S. American Temperance Movements: Cycles of Reform. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1989.
• Doyle, Michael W. Empires. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1986.
• Egan, Timothy. The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2006.
• Ferguson, Niall. Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power. New York: Basic Books, 2003.
• Fine, Sidney. Sit-Down: The General Motors Strike of 1936-1937. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1969.
• Ford, Gerald R. A Time to Heal: The Autobiography of Gerald R. Ford. New York: Harper & Row, 1979.
• Kennedy, David M. Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
• Korab, Balthazar. Detroit, the Renaissance City. 1st ed. Thomasson-Grant, 1986.
• Kyvig, David E. Repealing National Prohibition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979.
• Lender, Mark Edward, and James Kirby Martin. Drinking in America: A History. New York: Free Press, 1987.
• Sugrue, Thomas J. The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996.

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