Above: rioters burning the Colored Orphans Asylum during the New York Draft Riots of 1863 (L); rioters beating an African-American man
Painting the Big Apple Red
In addition to the Midwest, many a Copperhead resided in New York City. These included lots of immigrants (Ellis Island + work opportunities = NYC being the immigration hub of the United States), primarily from Germany and Ireland, who performed a lot of cheap labor around the city. Their worst fears were that, if African-American slaves in the South were to be freed and allowed to get paying jobs, they would migrate up North and steal their jobs from them.
A few things happened that made them think their nightmare was about to come true, and worsen their situation...
1. The Emancipation Proclamation was passed on January 1st, 1863. Abraham Lincoln's executive order declared all slaves in the Confederacy free (and thus able to travel up North and steal low-wage jobs away from the working class New Yorkers)
2. The Union passed a strict draft law in March 1863, requiring all make citizens between 20-35 and unmarried men between 35-45 to enlist in the army if selected in a lottery
2a. There was the option to hire a substitute to enlist in the army for you, or to pay the federal government $300 to opt out--but the working class New Yorkers couldn't afford either
3. The Democratic Party manipulated the already bad situation with lots of propaganda and newspaper editorials to make it seem as though Lincoln's administration were targeting the white working class
4. Despite the Emancipation Proclamation, African-Americans still weren't considered citizens, so they weren't included in the draft
All of these things absolutely enraged Copperheads around New York City. The draft lottery was held on July 11th, 1863; by July 13th, New York City was embroiled in violent riots in protest of the draft--which are now known as the New York City Draft Riots.
Below, view some sights of the riots:
A few things happened that made them think their nightmare was about to come true, and worsen their situation...
1. The Emancipation Proclamation was passed on January 1st, 1863. Abraham Lincoln's executive order declared all slaves in the Confederacy free (and thus able to travel up North and steal low-wage jobs away from the working class New Yorkers)
2. The Union passed a strict draft law in March 1863, requiring all make citizens between 20-35 and unmarried men between 35-45 to enlist in the army if selected in a lottery
2a. There was the option to hire a substitute to enlist in the army for you, or to pay the federal government $300 to opt out--but the working class New Yorkers couldn't afford either
3. The Democratic Party manipulated the already bad situation with lots of propaganda and newspaper editorials to make it seem as though Lincoln's administration were targeting the white working class
4. Despite the Emancipation Proclamation, African-Americans still weren't considered citizens, so they weren't included in the draft
All of these things absolutely enraged Copperheads around New York City. The draft lottery was held on July 11th, 1863; by July 13th, New York City was embroiled in violent riots in protest of the draft--which are now known as the New York City Draft Riots.
Below, view some sights of the riots:
Originally, the protesters aimed their attacks on military and government buildings--after all, they were the ones who were forcing these "Peace" Democrats to fight in a war they didn't even think should be happening! But soon, the rioters focused their efforts away from the government and towards African-Americans, revealing their true, racist colors. They blamed African-Americans—who had nothing to do with the draft law, or any say in government issues at all as non-citizens—on the fact that they had to enlist. They believed, like Clement Vallandigham, that "Abolition [was] the cause of this civil war", and that it was preventing the country from "Peace."
So, of course, they incited even MORE violence, by claiming "vengeance on every n***er in New York."
One of their rioters' most gruesome attacks was on the Colored Orphan Asylum, which housed over 200 African-American children. The mob descended upon the Asylum, stealing most of its food, clothing, and supplies before setting the building on fire. All of the children were saved, but their home was lost.
Meanwhile, Irishmen attacked over 200 African-American dockworkers they saw as competition for their jobs. The mobs fought them in a grisly, horrifying manner, even vandalizing dead bodies: for example, white men jumped on, stoned, and stabbed black sailor William Williams' body long after his death as a crowd of rioters cheered for Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Lincoln eventually sent troops finishing up the Battle of Gettysburg to New York to try to get control of the riots.
By the end of the riots, 11 black men were lynched and kiled and hundreds of black laborers were driven out of New York City by the mobs, in addition to hundreds of black families scared out of the city. Before the riots, in 1840, New York’s black population was over 16,000; by 1860, after an influx of Irish and German immigrant labor competitors, it fell to 12,500; by the end of the riots, it fell to just over 9,000.
So, of course, they incited even MORE violence, by claiming "vengeance on every n***er in New York."
One of their rioters' most gruesome attacks was on the Colored Orphan Asylum, which housed over 200 African-American children. The mob descended upon the Asylum, stealing most of its food, clothing, and supplies before setting the building on fire. All of the children were saved, but their home was lost.
Meanwhile, Irishmen attacked over 200 African-American dockworkers they saw as competition for their jobs. The mobs fought them in a grisly, horrifying manner, even vandalizing dead bodies: for example, white men jumped on, stoned, and stabbed black sailor William Williams' body long after his death as a crowd of rioters cheered for Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Lincoln eventually sent troops finishing up the Battle of Gettysburg to New York to try to get control of the riots.
By the end of the riots, 11 black men were lynched and kiled and hundreds of black laborers were driven out of New York City by the mobs, in addition to hundreds of black families scared out of the city. Before the riots, in 1840, New York’s black population was over 16,000; by 1860, after an influx of Irish and German immigrant labor competitors, it fell to 12,500; by the end of the riots, it fell to just over 9,000.
Find out more about the New York Draft Riots!
If you want to read Freedland's entire article, entitled "The Great Riot":
http://vm.uconn.edu/~pbaldwin/greatrio.html
If you want general information about the New York Draft Riots:
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/317749.html
If you want to read soldiers' accounts of the Draft Riots:
http://www.civilwarhome.com/draftriots.htm
http://vm.uconn.edu/~pbaldwin/greatrio.html
If you want general information about the New York Draft Riots:
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/317749.html
If you want to read soldiers' accounts of the Draft Riots:
http://www.civilwarhome.com/draftriots.htm