Causes of the New York City Draft Riots of 1863

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 Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863 topped off the work of the supporters of the emancipation that were primarily from New York City. Republicans tried to stop abolitionists from holding ground in high levels of politics in New York especially with the antislavery politics that rang through the city during the beginning of the war, but by that time the abolitionists had prevailed and spoke to large hordes of people both black and white on the current situation among the city's population. With the abolitionist's success in the city and their attempt to educate the people, there was also the counterpart of the white proslavery members, which mainly included the large number of immigrants from Ireland. With Lincoln speaking highly of the emancipation, the Democratic Party and their proslavery members had to watch out for the emancipation when it hit their city. When the emancipation hit the city it caused labor competition among the immigrants and the blacks, especially the blacks that were fleeing up from the southern states. The immigrant New Yorkers, as they had come to be known, had realized that with the emancipation in 1863 their fears had become a reality since the blacks were now free to flee north and settle in their city of New York. But

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