The New York Draft Riots (New York City, July 13 - July 17, 1863) began as protests against President Abraham Lincoln's Enrollment Act of Conscription drafting men to fight in the ongoing United States Civil War. Considered by some to be the worst civil unrest in American history, the riots included 50,000 participants and lasted several days, claiming hundreds of lives and destroying millions of dollars in property. The violent demonstration could not be contained by the civil police force, and required the intervention of Federal troops, who marched from the battlefield of Gettysburg, to restore civil order. Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the United States, and is at the center of international finance, politics, music, and culture. ... July 13th is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ... July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... The President of the United States is the head of state of the United States. ... Order: 16th President Vice President: Hannibal Hamlin (1861-1865); Andrew Johnson (1865) Term of office: March 4, 1861 – April 15, 1865 Preceded by: James Buchanan Succeeded by: Andrew Johnson Date of birth: February 12, 1809 Place of birth: Hardin County, Kentucky (now in LaRue County) Date of death: April 15... The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the northern states, popularly referred to as the U.S., the Union, the North, or the Yankees; and the seceding southern states, commonly referred to as the Confederate States of America, the CSA, the Confederacy... The New York City Police Department (NYPD) , the largest police department in the United States, has primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City. ... The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863), fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign, was the largest battle ever fought in North America, and is generally considered to be the turning point of the American Civil War. ...

Background

In July of 1863, antiwar newspapers in New York City began to inflame their readers (largely Irish Catholic, working class, and white) against fighting for the emancipation of blacks, and also against the policy that enabled wealthy individuals to buy a surrogate for $300, so that they themselves need not fight. Although the draft was universal, it was possible to pay a "commutation fee" to escape service, thereby excluding the wealthier classes from the hazards of war. July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ... Irish Catholics are persons of predominantly Irish descent who adhere to the Roman Catholic faith. ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ... Emancipation means becoming free and equal; the term can be used in various contexts: historically, a slave becoming free by being set free by the owner (manumission), voluntarily or in accordance with laws requiring it after a certain time or in certain cases, thereby becoming freedman (e. ... Conscription is a general term for involuntary labor demanded by some established authority, e. ...

Lottery and outbreak

The first draft lottery was held on July 11, 1863. The riots, which lasted five days, began July 13, 1863 and ended on July 17. Draft lottery could refer to: NBA Lottery, a lottery determining the order in the NBA Draft Sports draft Draft lottery (1969) - the system whereby the United States conscripted soldiers during the Vietnam War. ... July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Riots in Newark, New Jersey Riots occur when crowds of people have gathered and are committing crimes or acts of violence. ... July 13th is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ...

The riots erupted after the names of the drafted men appeared in the local New York City press on July 13, shortly after the newspapers had reported the tremendous loss of life at Gettysburg. Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the United States, and is at the center of international finance, politics, music, and culture. ... The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863), fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign, was the largest battle ever fought in North America, and is generally considered to be the turning point of the American Civil War. ...

In response, some 50,000 people, particularly impoverished Irish immigrants, rioted, smashing store windows and attacking people, mainly African Americans, on the street. Telegraph offices and wires were attacked to disrupt communication, indicating organized leadership. African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or black Americans, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan and West Africa. ... Telegraphy (from the Greek words tele = far away and grapho = write) is the long distance transmission of written messages without physical transport of letters, originally over wire. ...

The riot began with the burning of a draft office. Members of the fire department stood by and watched, angry that they had lost their exemption to the draft. The rioters initially targeted draft offices and police stations, but soon began to attack black property and organizations and white sympathizers. An orphanage for black children was burned but the children were rescued. An orphanage is an institution dedicated to caring for orphans (children without living parents). ...

The Chief of Police was captured by the mob and badly beaten before he escaped, and the office of abolitionist newspaper editor Horace Greeley was destroyed. This article is about the abolition of slavery. ... Photographic portrait of Greeley Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811–November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and politician. ...

Police action and intervention by Federal troops

The New York police forces proved unable to quell the riots. The police were badly outnumbered and had to focus on minimizing losses and rescuing those which they could. Control of the city was not re-established until the hasty arrival of the 7th Regiment New York State Militia from Gettysburg after a forced march. By the fifteenth the mob still controlled scattered portions of the city, but by the morning of the sixteenth there were nearly 4,000 Federal troops in the city and the riot subsided. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) , the largest police department in the United States, has primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City. ... The New York Guard is the name of the state-run militia of New York State. ... When used by itself, the term Gettysburg can mean at least two different things in the English language: an American Civil War battle, or the town in which it was fought. ... G.A.R. Memorial, Washington, D.C. The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army who had served in the American Civil War. ...

Death toll and damage

The exact death toll is unknown, but at least 100 people were killed and at least 300 more injured; property damage was about $1.5 million. The Guinness Book of World Records cites it as the bloodiest riot in history, costing approximately 1,200 lives. The Guinness Book of Records (or in recent editions Guinness World Records, and in previous US editions Guinness Book of World Records) is a book published annually, containing an internationally recognized collection of superlatives: both in terms of human achievement and the extrema of the natural world. ...

Fictional portrayals

The Draft Riots were fictionally portrayed in the John Jakes novel On Secret Service and the Martin Scorsese film Gangs of New York, and other works. John Jakes (born on March 31, 1932) is a writer of fiction. ... Martin Scorsese (pronounced as Scor-SEH-see) (born November 17, 1942 in Queens, New York, USA) is an American film director. ... Promotional poster for Gangs of New York Gangs of New York is a 2002 film made by the studio Miramax, set in the middle 19th century in the Five Points district of New York City. ...

External link

• The New York City Draft Riots of 1863

Reference

• Herbert Asbury, The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld