New York City draft riots begin (1863)

The New York City draft riots began on July 13, 1863, as violent disturbances in Lower Manhattan. Widely regarded as the culmination of working-class discontent with conscription laws, these events are considered one of the worst incidents of civil unrest in American history. The riots involved significant racial violence and targeted African American communities.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. Congress passed the Enrollment Act in March 1863 to establish a draft, which spared wealthier men who could afford substitutes. This law fueled anger among the ethnic Irish working class. Additionally, the Emancipation Proclamation alarmed white workers who feared labor competition from freed slaves. New York City had strong business ties to the South, and Mayor Fernando Wood had previously proposed secession.

Racial Tensions. Tensions between white and black workers were high. In March 1863, white longshoremen refused to work with black laborers and attacked 200 black men. During the riots, mobs targeted African Americans, destroying homes and businesses, including James McCune Smith's pharmacy. The violence resulted in the murder of black civilians, including a seven-year-old child.

Aftermath. The riots significantly impacted the African American population in New York City. By 1865, the black population in Manhattan fell below 10,000, the lowest level since 1820. In response to the violence, the Union League Club recruited over 2,000 black soldiers in December 1863, training them and sending them off with a parade in March 1864.

People involved

Sources

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.