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The Draft Riots, Black Victimization, and Black Flight

Draft Riots of NYC as chronicled by Harper's Weekly

As the new immigrants, the Irish in particular, arrived in massive numbers, the African Americans had to fight for everything from jobs to housing. The constant competition to essentially stay alive created tension, which exploded, in physical violence on July 11, 1863. Although the riots had its roots in the social tension between the two groups, two events triggered the explosion. Firstly, Abraham Lincoln, fighting an already unappealing civil war, declared that emancipation of the slave population in America would be a goal of the civil war. Recognizing that their fragile place in society would be shattered by the introduction of such a labor force, the Irish grew resentful. Lincoln fueled the fire with the Conscription Act. The act allowed the government to conduct a draft, sparing only those who could pay a fee of $300. At the time, African Americans were excluded from service and so too were the elite, leaving the Irishmen to fight for the freedom of the slaves.

The Draft Riots and its Consequences:

Consequently, an angry mob Irishmen took to the streets of New York City, destroying everything from the draft office to an African American orphanage. Homes of African Americans, rich and poor, were attacked. The bloodthirsty mob hanged, burned and dragged through the New York street its African American citizens. Families, fearing for their lives fled the city in great numbers. Among them, there were notable figures such as James Pennington, who worked tirelessly to ensure the rights of African American citizens and their recognition by the American government. The Draft Riots in total, took the lives of at least 120 civilians and injured many more.