Review: The New York City Draft Riots

African American individuals still faced inhumane discrimination and were often not looked at as people, let alone cared for or acknowledged. To anyone else, their opinions did not matter and their lives were not valued. The 1930?s was also a time in which America was being rebuilt after the detrimental effects of the Great Depression. Furthermore, there was a greater presence of African Americans in northern states, which brought about racial tension from powerful white figures who did not want African Americans in what they believed to be ?their cities?. The struggle to find jobs was present all over, and African Americans found it even more difficult to support themselves. The narrator faced all these obstacles throughout the course of this novel.

The book starts out addressing the problem with the New deal and Great Depression. Black Americans suffered the most because they were mostly in agriculture and would be hit the hardest. Black urban unemployment reached well over 50 percent, more than twice the rate of whites. In my own opinion that wasn’t a coincidence. In southern cities, white workers rallied around such slogan “back to the cotton fields city jobs are for white folks." The most violent times took place on southern railroads, as unionized white workers intimidated, attacked, and murdered black firemen in order to take their jobs. Throughout African Americans lost their jobs in various parts of the South. Ku Klux Klan practices were being resumed and it became more and more dangerous for Blacks to live daily lives.

To this point, Leslie M. Harris writes, In the shadow of Slavery states, "The Democratic party had warned New York Irish and German residents to prepare for the emancipation of slaves and the resultant labor competition when southern blacks...flee." This is significant because the Irish were already poor and treat similar to how slaves were. The emancipation freed thousands of slaves causing a competition for jobs between the two. Soon afterward the draft occurs, either forcing you to go to war or pay a large fee to avoid being drafted. Blacks, who were not considered citizens, were excused from the draft. The Irish were forced to fight in a war for the freedom of black slaves, while the Irish themselves were treated like slaves. The result caused the 1863 draft riots, the Irish viewed this as the "rich man's war and a poor man's fight" because the rich paid off the fee, while the ones that can't afford to had to

This book relates to American history by showing you the perspective of both sides. The side of Lincoln who wanted to do nothing but great things for this nation and the side of John Wilkes Booth who had a terrible plot to kill a great man. While reading this book I learned how Abraham Lincolns job was far from over after the civil war, he had to convince the American people that the war was for the benefit of the country because the war was the most brutal the nation had ever seen. I would recommend this book to any student interested in American history because it shows some key events in the civil war and shows how Lincolns point of view was not what was better for

With no navy to mount a defense, the Southern government was forced to control production of cotton and raise taxes, which only furthered the disillusionment of its population (Perman, 224). Poor Southerners in particular began to see the war as benefiting a section of society that did not include them, as they were not slave owners. They were the very people forced to make the most sacrifices for the war and the government's control of their ability to produce led to bread riots (Perman, 219). Moreover, as enlistment numbers in the Confederate army dwindled, the government had no option but to turn to forced conscription and impressments of slaves, which Southerners viewed as the impounding of personal property (Perman, 221). The realities of war created a conflict that Southerners did not foresee when they had created an aloof central government.

David S. Reynolds explains, “It is important to recognize that many of the social ills that later bred radical violence plagued the nation in his time, but he went to war only over the issue of slavery.” Watching the news or reading the newspaper, seeing something about a riot is an everyday thing. These people are standing up for what they believe in and acting on it. Just like Brown did. I think Brown was very significant in 1859 and it is still alike today.

Larger groups started to form to justify the issue that the US had at hand. The Navy knew that they had to let African Americans fight in the wars and all of the other arms forces followed the same course of action. For instance, African Americans were allowed to fight in the ruthless war of Vietnam. The protest did not just affect war but changed the way people looked at blacks and also set a movement in the US. Many places started to give blacks the rights that they deserved especially after the Civil rights

Since the Civil War the United States has been using the military draft to defend the country. The draft is the reason why the U.S. is the powerhouse it is today. The military draft has been successful for all the wars we fought, so why stop it now? The Unites States gives its citizens freedom that most countries don’t allow. To ensure the citizens’ natural rights the United States citizens should show loyalty and be willing to fight when called for duty. An all-volunteer army is filled with citizens from low income households. The minorities in the country fill these positions. The all-volunteer army is an unfair method of distributing the responsibly and risking the United States defense system.

The New York City draft riots of 1863 were the cause of a particular feeling among blacks that were recently freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. Since, at the time, blacks were not considered citizens the lottery that was the draft itself did not include those that were not citizens. Btu since the blacks were free but not citizens then they were the spark of much hatred that was aroused by certain factors, particularly from the Irish and German immigrants. The press, fueled part of this hatred of the white community when they published ideas that were biased and led to more recognition on how the emancipation would be the end of the line for an immigrant making decent pay or wanting to stay home from the war.

The testimony of Paul Kamerick is another attempt by the government to connect the UCC to the Newark riots. Kamerick points out how James Kennedy invited citizens to protest on live television in order to portray Kennedy as an actor in the riots. Kamerick also states “ Kennedy was there handing out the placards that had been made in area board No. 2, using area hoard No. 2 equipment, paper, time and other supplies. Mr. Alderman. Were all of those funds coming through the United Community Corp.? Mr. Kamerick. Substantially all of them.” . The selective questioning is done to establish the UCC presence at the riots. Their aid through public support, the invitation to the protest, and the handout of placards confirm an involvement and interest from the UCC in the outcomes of the protest.Thus, the interrogation of the UCC is done to criticize the organization for its promotion of protest in a city riddled with tensions and anger. Yet, ironically, the government attacks the UCC for instigating danger and violence, when it is their policies that have caused these manifestations. Nevertheless, the use of Kamerick’s interview serves as a criticism of the UCC because they were not able to assess the severity in promoting a protest in an unstable city. The government notices this link and attacks the UCC on their perceived

People watched as “Men, both colored and white, were murdered within two blocks of us, some being hung to the nearest lamp post, and others shot”. This carnage was predominantly sparked by the ratification of the Conscription Act and the mobility of freed slaves due to the Emancipation Proclamation. The Irish-Americans and African-Americans were competing for jobs; resulting in the biggest civil protest during war times in American history. The New York City Draft Riots of 1863, as stated by Albon P. Man Jr’s journal article, “Labor Competition and the New York Draft Riots of 1863”, left 1,200 to 1,500 dead from white rioters, though the number of victims by the lynch mobs that were taken away by the water onto either side of Manhattan are

Imagine being attacked by mobs on the way to school. Melba and Boston school students are experiencing this. In the book, Warriors Don’t Cry, Melba is part of the Civil Rights Movement by being one of the first black students to integrate into Central High School. She experiences abuse and hate from people who do not want her to come into Central High. In “Selma and Civil Rights”, 600 civil right marchers march through Selma and towards Montgomery. The governor tries to stop the march, while the President tries to help and encourage the marches. The goal is to give African Americans the freedom to vote. “‘It Was Like A War Zone’: Busing Boston” is about the Boston Public Schools allowing integration. Black students on their way to school are

In Chapter 4 of his book, which is aptly titled “Postwar Passions”, Daniels chooses to focus on the experiences of African-Americans in the post-WWI era, specifically focusing on race riots that occurred during the “Red Summer” of 1919. (104) There is a long-standing history of racial discord between whites and African-Americans, but the post-WWI years are a unique time. It has been more than fifty years since slavery has been abolished, but it will still take another forty plus years before discrimination on the basis of race is made illegal in America. Industrialization after the turn of the century and blatant racism in the South led to the migration of millions of African-Americans to northern

New York played a huge role in the Civil War as it was the biggest provider for tools, capital and soldiers during the war effort. New York was also the center of the Civil War Draft Riots. The American Civil War was fought from 1861 to 1865 to determine the survival of the Union or independence for the Confederacy. The war lasted four years and it left over 600,000 Union and Confederate soldiers dead. In the end much of the South 's infrastructure was destroyed, the Confederacy collapsed and slavery was eventually abolished.

This paper explains a very important moment in the history of our government that took place in Illinois in 1917. As World War I was beginning for the United States things were heating up in East St. Louis, Illinois. Anti-black riots killed or injured over one hundred black civilians. Then a Silent Parade of over ten thousand black citizens from New York broke out. Civil rights have always been an issue in our government, and according to www.kidzworld.com, after these anti black riots, things eventually led to the development of the The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and from that, Rosa Parks did not give up her seat on the bus. The creation of the NAACP also influenced the Little Rock, Arkansas incident, Martin L. King’s “I Have a Dream” Speech, and many other things which eventually led to equal rights for everyone with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This paper will explain the riots and how it shaped our government into providing equal jobs for all races.