NYC Draft Riots
The draft that ignited race and class fury
4.3 (19)
23 mins
Discover how the 1863 Conscription Act fueled class and racial tensions in NYC, leading to the deadly Draft Riots. Understand how and why thousands of Irish immigrants attacked Black residents, abolitionist institutions, and city authorities in a violent backlash against inequality.
Ep 1:
A Recipe for Disaster: The Roots of Rage
As Civil War draft laws let the rich buy their way out, poverty, prejudice, and political scheming in New York collide to create an explosive powder keg.
Ep 2:
Five Days of Fire
A city erupts as mobs storm draft offices, torch an orphanage, and turn on Black New Yorkers in America's deadliest riot, forcing Lincoln to act.
Discussions (12)
Travis
Level 8 · 8 mo agoOfficial stats say 119 dead. Calling it the deadliest domestic violence is statistically ignorant.
Royce
Level 6 · 9 mo agoI checked that Lincoln letter to Seymour and the 'butcher drives bullocks' quote is accurate. It really shows how cold Lincoln had to be to keep the army staffed. Absolutely brutal but necessary logic.
Gail
Level 7 · 9 mo agoEditors manning Gatling guns at the Times gives a whole new meaning to the power of the press.
