Sparked By The Union’s First Conscription Law Passed In March 1863, The Riots Reflected Deep Societal Tensions Within The North During The Civil War. The Enrollment Act Required All Male Citizens Between Ages Twenty And Forty-Five To Enlist, But Allowed Wealthier Individuals To Pay A $300 Commutation Fee Or Hire A Substitute, Angering Working-Class Citizens Who Lacked Such Resources.
Violence Broke Out In The Early Hours Of July 13 When Protesters Attacked The Draft Office At Third Avenue And 47th Street. What Began As Opposition To The Draft Quickly Escalated Into Widespread Rioting, Arson, And Assaults. For Four Days, Gangs Of Mostly Irish-American Laborers And Immigrants Rampaged Through Manhattan. Government Buildings, Police Stations, Republican Newspaper Offices, And The Homes Of Prominent Abolitionists Were Targeted. The Rioters Also Destroyed Telegraph Lines And Rails To Disrupt Communication And Reinforcement Efforts.
One Of The Most Tragic Aspects Of The Riots Was The Targeting Of African Americans. The Mob’s Racial Hostility Stemmed In Part From Economic Competition And Fears That Emancipated Slaves Would Migrate North And Undercut Wages. Dozens Of Black Citizens Were Beaten Or Lynched. The Colored Orphan Asylum On Fifth Avenue, Which Housed Over Two Hundred Children, Was Set On Fire On July 13. While The Children Escaped Thanks To The Efforts Of Staff, The Building Was Reduced To Ruins.
New York’s Police Force, Though Outnumbered, Fought To Resist The Rioters. Superintendent John Kennedy Was Severely Beaten When He Attempted To Assess The Situation. The Metropolitan Police, Along With The New York State Militia, Struggled To Contain The Violence. On July 16, Federal Troops, Some Of Whom Were Redirected From The Battlefields Of Gettysburg, Arrived In The City. Their Presence Marked A Turning Point, As They Used Force To Suppress The Remaining Uprising.
The Casualty Toll Was Severe. Estimates Vary, But Contemporary Reports Cite Over One Hundred Deaths And Hundreds More Injured. Property Damage Was Extensive, With Millions Of Dollars Lost In Destroyed Homes, Businesses, And Infrastructure. Thousands Of Black New Yorkers Fled The City Permanently, Causing Lasting Demographic Changes.
The Draft Riots Exposed The Fragility Of Northern Unity During The Civil War. They Revealed That Many Working-Class Citizens, Especially Immigrants, Resented Fighting For A Cause They Believed Benefited Others Economically Or Racially. These Riots Also Highlighted The Deep Racial Divisions In Northern Society, Despite The Popular Image Of The North As Unified In Its Opposition To Slavery.
Politically, The Riots Had Immediate And Long-Term Effects. The Lincoln Administration Viewed The Riots As Evidence Of The Need For Stronger Internal Security Measures. In The Aftermath, Federal Troops Remained Stationed In New York City For Months. Governor Horatio Seymour, A Democrat And Vocal Opponent Of The Conscription Act, Attempted To Calm The Rioters By Appealing To Their Grievances. His Language During The Crisis, Including Referring To Protesters As "My Friends," Was Cited By Critics As Encouraging Lawlessness, Though He Also Worked To Restore Order.
In The Broader Context Of The Civil War, The Riots Occurred Just Days After The Union Victory At Gettysburg. While Gettysburg Marked A Turning Point On The Battlefield, The Draft Riots Showed That The Union Faced Serious Domestic Challenges To Maintaining The War Effort. New York City, A Financial And Cultural Hub, Became A Symbol Of The Internal Strain Faced By A Nation Divided Not Only Between North And South, But Also Within Its Own Communities.
Following The Riots, The Federal Government Made Some Adjustments To The Draft Process, Including More Active Use Of Substitution And Enforcement. However, The Enrollment Act Remained In Effect, And Conscription Continued To Be A Source Of Tension Throughout The War. Over Time, Public Support For The War Stabilized As Union Victories Increased And Emancipation Became A More Widely Accepted Goal.
The 1863 New York City Draft Riots Remain A Critical Event In American History. They Demonstrate How Class, Race, And War Can Intersect To Produce Violent Upheaval. They Serve As A Reminder That Even In The North, Civil War-Era Policies Could Trigger Explosive Reactions Among Citizens Who Felt Marginalized Or Exploited. The Legacy Of The Riots Is Embedded In The Ongoing American Struggle With Inequality, Civil Rights, And The Burden Of Military Service.
References / More Knowledge:
Bernstein, I. (1990). The New York City Draft Riots: Their Significance for American Society and Politics in the Age of the Civil War. Oxford University Press.
Harris, B. (2004). The New York Draft Riots of 1863. Harlan Davidson.
McPherson, J. M. (1988). Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. Oxford University Press.
New York Times. (1863, July 14–17). Coverage of the Draft Riots. [Historical Archive].
U.S. National Archives. (n.d.). "The Enrollment Act of 1863." Accessed July 2025. https://www.archives.gov.