To receive the newsletter by e-mail,
sign up today!

New York City’s Draft Riots

On July 13, 1863 one of the worst riots in U.S. history began in New York City, leaving more than a hundred dead by its conclusion a few days later. The seed for the riots began when the Union Army, now two years into the Civil War, began to run short on both manpower and money. On March 3, Congress passed its first ever act of conscription, authorizing the draft of young men between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five for a three-year term of military service. But there was an out – if you had enough money. For the sum of $300, one could buy an exemption. This provision meant that the wealthy didn’t have to fight and it spurred unanticipated and deadly consequences, particularly for African-Americans.

In this mini unit, read a comprehensive article and guide on the New York City Draft Riots, view a map and timeline of the terrible events, see pictures of the mob attacks, and hone and share your knowledge of the riots with a multi-day lesson plan.

Reading

The New York City Draft Riots of 1863

The Draft Riots

Timeline/Map

Map of Riots

Timeline of Events

Multimedia

Draft Riots Picture Gallery

Activities

Draft Riots Lesson Plan

Recommended Resource

Riot
During a long hot July in 1863, the worst race riots the United States has ever seen erupt in New York City. Earlier that year, desperate for more Union soldiers, President Abraham Lincoln instituted a draft–a draft that would allow the wealthy to escape serving in the army by paying a $300 waiver, more than a year’s income for the recent immigrant Irish. And on July 11, as the first drawing takes place in Lower Manhattan, the city of New York explodes in rage and fire. Stores are looted; buildings, including the Colored Foundling Home, are burned down; and black Americans are attacked, beaten, and murdered. The police cannot hold out against the rioters, and finally, battle-hardened soldiers are ordered back from the fields of Gettysburg to put down the insurrection, which they do–brutally.

Fifteen-year-old Claire, the beloved daughter of a black father and Irish mother, finds herself torn between the two warring sides. Faced with the breakdown of the city–the home–she has loved, Claire must discover the strength and resilience to address the new world in which she finds herself, and to begin the hard journey of remaking herself and her identity.

Author: Walter Dean Myers
Hardcover
List Price: $16.99 Amazon Price: $11.25

Read more about and purchase the book: Here