“Cleanliness in Antebellum Detroit: Urban Development of Nineteenth-Century Private and Public Spheres in Detroit, Michigan”

This thesis examines how cleanliness affected the development of Detroit, Michigan during the antebellum era. I argue that Detroiters used nineteenth-century knowledge of cleanliness to shape their physical environments, both public and private. Within the public environment, Detroiters developed paved streets, implemented gutters, created parks, and gardens, and hired scavengers to preserve their city's health by changing the layout and look of their city. Within their homes, Detroiters turned to the creation of wash-closets, more frequent cleaning of both house and person, and the use of rugs and brooms to remove waste and filth and be clean. In addition, middle-and-upper class Detroiters connected their desire for cleanliness with an improved moral character. Detroiters’ cleanliness efforts in the private and public spheres demonstrated their want for modernization and urbanization in a period of increased filth due to industrialization. Ultimately, this thesis demonstrates that the territorial City of Detroit grew and developed in ways that were similar to cities on the east coast during the antebellum era.