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Philadelphia Nativist Riots
Topic Started: May 1 2010, 04:45 PM (254 Views)
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May 8, 1844

Riots raged in Philadelphia from May 6 to 8 between Catholic immigrant groups and native-born Protestant Americans, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries as well as the destruction of several Catholic churches.

Tensions had been running high due to rumors of Catholic attempts to remove the Bible from public schools and were further exacerbated by nativist rhetoric. On May 3 a meeting of the American Republican Party, a small anti-immigrant political party founded in 1843, was attacked by several Irish Catholics. Three days later a much larger political rally in Philadelphia's marketplace was also attacked, this time resulting in the deaths of one or two Protestants. The nativists responded by assaulting the Seminary of the Sisters of Charity and several Catholic homes.

On May 7, the nativists denounced the Catholics and called on Americans to defend themselves from "the bloody hand of the Pope." A mob marched to Kensington, where shots were exchanged between Protestant and Catholic residents. The mob then set fire to the Hibernia fire station as well as thirty homes and the market where the violence had started the day before. The riot did not end until the local militia, commanded by General George Cadwalader, arrived and dispersed the crowd.

The next day the rioters returned and burned down St. Michael's Catholic Church, St. Augustine's Catholic Church, the Seminary of the Sisters of Charity, which had been attacked a few days before, and several homes before soldiers arrived and the fire was contained.

All told at least fourteen people were killed and an estimated fifty more injured. Two hundred residents fled their homes.
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July - November 1844

Another incident broke out in July after Catholics at St. Philip Neri's Church began arming themselves to defend against further threats by Native American Party members. At first a local sheriff tried to remove the weapons and prevent violence, but on July 7 skirmishes between Catholics and nativists led to a mob assaulting the church and shelling it with a cannon. Around 20 people were killed and another 50 injured.

The Pennsylvania governor sent state troops to the city and the intimidating presence of 5,000 militiamen finally put an end to the violence by July 11. Subsequent investigations by a (largely Protestant) grand jury placed the blame squarely on the Irish Catholics' shoulders.

The nativist riots quickly attracted national attention and were used by both sides in the presidential campaign. Democrats condemned the violence and popularly linked Whigs, many of whom have nativist leanings, to the debacle in an effort to gain the immigrant vote. Whigs also voiced their condemnation but tended to fault the Irish more than the Americans to play to nativist sentiment. In October, the Native American Party itself made a strong showing in the Philadelphia elections.

Philadelphia's city council passed an ordinance establishing a battalion of artillery, a regiment of infantry and a full troop of cavalry to maintain civil order in the event of further riots. There is also some discussion of establishing a new police force to deal with crime in general, and the council expects the matter to be voted upon in early 1845.
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"For more than half a century, during which kingdoms and empires have fallen, this Union has stood unshaken. The patriots who formed it have long since descended to the grave; yet still it remains, the proudest monument to their memory."
- Zachary Taylor
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