Draft Riots 1863

Before the terrible Draft Riots of 1863, there had already been a strong group (known as 'Copperheads') within the New York Democratic Party who argued for a negotiated settlement to the Civil War. The new conscription provisions of 1863 provoked furious protest from working men in the city, especially because the rich could, and did, buy their way out of conscription. In 'The Draft' chapter of New York, Edward Rutherfurd draws a vivid picture of the riots, the part taken by the fire companies, and the way that the protest tragically, and insanely, turned into a horrifying race riot.




 

 

 



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