The Irish and New York's Civil War Draft Riots : a cultural analysis, 2002

Item — Call Number: MU Thesis Ann

Identifier: b2089509

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The collection consists of theses written by students enrolled in the Master of Arts in Liberal of Arts program offered by Monmouth University. The holdings are bound print documents that were submitted in partial fulfillment of Monmouth University requirements for the Master of Arts degree.

Dates

Creation: 2002

Creator

Annitto, Susan (1943- ) (Author, Person)
Dooley, Francis Patrick (Thesis advisor, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use. Access is by appointment only.

Access to the collection is confined to the Monmouth University Library and is subject to patron policies approved by the Monmouth University Library.

Collection holdings may not be borrowed through interlibrary loan.

Research appointments are scheduled by the Monmouth University Library Archives Collections Manager (723-923-4526). A minimum of three days advance notice is required to arrange a research appointment for access to the collection.

Patrons must complete a Researcher Registration Form and provide appropriate identification to gain access to the collection holdings. Copies of these documents will be kept on file at the Monmouth University Library.

Extent

1 Items (print book) : 38 pages ; 8.5 x 11.0 inches (28 cm).

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Introduction

In popular histories of the United States, the Civil War is represented as a classic triumph of good over evil: An altruistic, enlightened North, united in its commitment to a noble cause, defeats a self-indulgent, inhumane, oppressive Southern aristocracy to secure the consitutional guarantees of liberty and justice for all. In fact, however, geography did not create the consensus that reason, logic, emotion, threats, and promises had failed to achieve; many Northerners did not support abolition, and many believed that the South should be free to secede. The depth of Northern ambivalence toward the War is reflected in the steady decline of volunteerism for the Union Army, as well as a high rate of desertion from the Army. The erosion of support became so severe that a federal conscription was enacted in 1863 as a last-ditch effort to replenish the ranks of the Union Army. Implementation of the draft set off protests in New York City on a scale more violent and destructive than anything the city or the nation had ever expereienced. History has labeled this episode the Draft Riots, but this paper concludes that the draft was not the root cause of the riots.

Most of New York's poor and working classes objected to the terms of the Draft Act, and the initial demonstration against the draft lottery drew participants from immigrant communities throughout the city. However, it was principally Irish Americans who expanded, escalated, and prolonged the violence. Why were New York's Irish the most destructive and tenacious of the rioters, pursuing their doomed and desperate course long after other demonstrators had retreated? And why did the mob turn its violence against the city's African-American community? This paper describes the activities of the mob and examines the cultural and political ambivalence of New York City and the tragic heritage of its Irish immigrant community. It concludes that no single factor explains the riots, but rather a lethal mix of culture, class, politics, and religion that finally exploded in the bloody week of war within the war.