Philadelphia Nativist Riots
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2008-07-11T18:17:21Z
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[[Image:Philadelphia1844riot.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The July 7, 1844 riot in Southwark.]]
The '''Philadelphia Nativist Riots''' (also known as the '''Philadelphia Prayer Riots''', the '''Bible Riots''' and the '''Native American Riots''') were a series of [[riots]] that took place between [[May 6]] and [[May 8]] and [[July 6]] and [[July 7]], [[1844]] in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[United States]] and the adjacent [[District#United_States|district]]s of [[Kensington District, Pennsylvania|Kensington]] and [[Southwark, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Southwark]]. The riots were a result of rising [[Anti-Catholicism|anti-Catholic]] sentiment at the growing population of [[Irish Catholic]] immigrants.
In the months prior to the riots, [[Nativism (politics)|nativist]] groups had been spreading a rumor that [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholics]] were trying to remove the [[Bible]] from public schools. A nativist rally in Kensington erupted in violence on [[May 6]] and started a deadly riot that would result in destruction of two Catholic churches and numerous other buildings. Riots erupted again in July after it was discovered that St. Philip Neri's Catholic Church in Southwark had armed itself for protection. Fierce fighting broke out between the nativists and the soldiers sent to protect the church, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries.
[[Grand jury|Grand juries]] investigating the riots found that fault lay mainly with the Irish Catholic population. However, nationally the riots helped fuel criticism of the nativist movement despite denials from nativist groups of responsibility. The riots made the deficiencies in law enforcement in Philadelphia and the surrounding districts readily apparent, influencing various reforms in local police departments and the eventual [[Act of Consolidation, 1854|consolidation of the city in 1854]].
==Background==
[[Image:FrancisKenrick.jpg|thumb|right|100px|Bishop Francis Kenrick.]]
As Philadelphia became industrialized, immigrants from [[England]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] and [[Germany]] settled in the city and the surrounding [[District#United_States|district]]s. In the areas the immigrants settled, tensions that resulted from religious, economic and cultural differences grew between residents. The majority of immigrants coming to Philadelphia were [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]].<ref name="Unbrotherly">{{cite web | last=Coval | first=Jennifer | coauthors=Kathryn Wilson | title=City of Unbrotherly Love: Violence in Nineteenth-Century Philadelphia | work=Exploring Diversity in Pennsylvania History | publisher=The Historical Society of Pennsylvania | url=http://www.hsp.org/files/thephiladelphiariotsof1844.pdf | format=PDF | accessdate=2008-05-08 }}</ref> Alarmed by the rising Catholic population, [[Protestantism|Protestants]] and native-born Americans started organizing [[Anti-Catholicism|anti-Catholic]] and [[Nativism (politics)|nativist]] groups. The groups, many of which were established in the early 1840s, distributed anti-Catholic literature or published anti-Catholic newspapers.<ref name="history356">{{cite book | author =Weigley RF et al (eds) |title=Philadelphia: A 300-Year History |date=1982 |publisher=W.W. Norton & Company |id=ISBN 0-393-01610-2 |pages=Page 356 }}</ref>
During the 1840s, students in Philadelphia schools began the day with reading the [[King James Version of the Bible|Protestant version]] of the [[Bible]]. On [[November 10]], [[1842]], Philadelphia's Roman Catholic [[Bishop]] [[Francis Kenrick]] wrote a letter to the board of controllers of public schools, asking that Catholic children be allowed to read the [[Douay-Rheims Bible|Douai]] version of the Bible used by Roman Catholics. He also asked that they be excused from other religious teaching while at school.<ref name="phipp345">{{cite book |last=Peixotto |first=Ernest C. |coauthors=Agnes Repplier |title=Philadelphia: The Place and the People |date=1898 |publisher=The Macmillan Company |pages=Page 345 }}</ref><ref name="history357">''Philadelphia: A 300-Year History'', page 357</ref> As a result, the Board of Controllers ordered that no child should be forced to participate in religious activities and stated that children were allowed whichever version of the Bible their parents wished.<ref name="USHist376">{{cite book |last=McMaster |first=John Bach |title=A History of the People of the United States: From the Revolution to the Civil War |date=1910 |publisher=D. Appleton and company |pages=Page 376 }}</ref>
Approximately one year later, a rumor was circulated that Hugh Clark, a [[Kensington District, Pennsylvania|Kensington]] school director who was Catholic, was visiting a girls school where he demanded that the principal stop Bible reading in school. The story also claimed that the principal refused and that she would rather lose her job. Hugh Clark denied this version of events and claimed that after finding out several students had left a Bible reading to read a different version of the Bible, he commented that if reading the Bible caused this kind of confusion that it would be better if it was not read. Anti-Catholics used the story to spur anti-Catholic sentiments by claiming that Catholics, with direct influence from the [[Pope]], were trying remove the Bible from schools.<ref name="USHist376" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Avery |first=Ron | title=A Concise History of Philadelphia | publisher=Otis Books | date=1999 | location=Philadelphia | pages=page 56 | id=ISBN 0-9658825-1-9 }}</ref> Anti-Catholic and nativist groups further inflamed hostile feelings towards Catholics by twisting Bishop Kenrick's requests to the Board of Controllers into an attack against the Bible.<ref name="phipp345" /><ref name="history357" />
==May riot==
On [[May 3]], [[1844]], the [[American Republican Party]], a Protestant nativist group, held a meeting in a predominantly Irish part of the [[Kensington District, Pennsylvania|Kensington District]], then a suburb of Philadelphia. A group of Irish residents attacked the platform where the speakers were standing, and the nativists retreated.<ref name="history357" /> On May 6, the nativists returned in much greater numbers. During the rally, it began to rain and the was meeting moved into a nearby [[market]]. The inflammatory remarks continued inside the market, where fighting broke out between the local [[Irish Catholic]]s and the nativists. The fighting spilled outside the market, where the nativists were shot at by people in the windows of nearby buildings; one or two of the nativists were killed. The mob of nativists attacked the Seminary of the Sisters of Charity and several Catholic homes before the riot was over. Numerous people were injured and two more nativists were killed.<ref name="phipp346">''Philadelphia: The Place and the People'', pages 346 - 347</ref><ref name="irish">{{cite web |url=http://www.irish-society.org/Hedgemaster%20Archives/philadelphia.htm |title=The Philadelphia Nativists Riots |accessdate=2008-05-10 |author=Margaret E. Fitzgerald |year=1992 |publisher=Irish Cultural Society of the Garden City Area |quote= }}</ref>
The district's [[constable]] was powerless to stop the violence. In the 1840s, most suburban districts of Philadelphia were policed by elected constables and part-time [[Watchman (law enforcement)|watchmen]]. When violence erupted in a district, the time-consuming process involved the constable summoning the county [[sheriff]], who would organize a posse.<ref name="Unbrotherly" /> During the May 6 violence, the posse arrived armed only with clubs and was powerless to do anything.<ref name="irish" />
[[Image:Riots1844staugestine.jpg|thumb|left|300px|St. Augustine's Church on fire]]
On May 7, the nativist groups denounced the Catholics and called on Americans to defend themselves from "the bloody hand of the Pope."<ref name="irish" /> A mob marched to Kensington, where gunfire broke out between the nativists and Catholic residents. During the riot, the nativist mob set fire to and destroyed the Hibernia fire station, thirty homes and the market where the violence started the day before. The violence did not end until the local [[militia]], commanded by General [[George Cadwalader]], arrived and dispersed the crowd. Bishop Francis Kenrick quickly issued a statement that instructed all Catholics to avoid violence and confrontations.<ref name="phipp346" />
After a brief lull, the violence continued on May 8. The nativists came back to Kensington and burned down St. Michael's Catholic Church and rectory at Second and Jefferson Streets, 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. While the riot was being contained in Kensington, another nativist mob had gathered within the borders of Philadelphia itself. They gathered at [[St. Augustine Church, Philadelphia|St. Augustine's Catholic Church]], located on Fourth Street between Vine and New Streets. The city troop was stationed by the church, and Mayor John Morin Scott pleaded for calm. The rioters threw stones at the mayor, ignored the troops and burned down church, cheering when the [[Steeple (architecture)|steeple]] fell. A nearby school with a collection of rare books was burned as well.<ref name="irish" /><ref>''Philadelphia: The Place and the People'', pages 348 - 349 </ref> Throughout the riot, only Irish Catholics were targeted; [[German Catholics]] were unharmed, even though rioters had been near a German Catholic church.<ref name="phillyirish">{{cite book |last=Clark |first=Dennis |title=The Irish in Philadelphia: Ten Generations of Urban Experience |date=1973 |publisher=Temple University Press |id=ISBN 0877222274 |pages=Page 21 }}</ref> During the riots, at least fourteen were killed, an estimated fifty people were injured, two hundred fled their homes, and damage totaled US$150,000.<ref name="history357" /><ref name="phillyirish" /><ref name="Philipneri">{{cite web | title=The Nativist Riots: Southwark 1844 | work=The Church of St. Philip Neri Parish History | publisher=Church of St. Philip Neri | url=http://churchofstphilipneri.org/history/NATIVIST%20RIOTS.pdf | format=PDF | accessdate=2008-05-10 }}</ref>
In the days afterward, Mayor Scott set up a force to protect Catholic churches, and Bishop Kenrick ordered all churches to be closed the following Sunday to avoid any provocation and possible violence. Valuables were removed from the churches and hidden in homes for safekeeping. Bishop Kenrick asked Catholics to offer no resistance and urged them to wait for the law to deal with the rioters. However, in its June 18 report, a [[grand jury]] blamed an imperfect response by law enforcement and the Irish Catholics for the riots, stating the outbreak of violence was due to "the efforts of a portion of the community to exclude the Bible from the public schools" and the disruption of legitimate meetings by immigrants.<ref name="Philipneri" /><ref>''Philadelphia: The Place and the People'', page 350</ref> Nativists said they were only responding to being attacked and were justified in their actions but were not responsible for the riots after May 6. The American Republican Party issued a statement blaming Mayor Scott, the sheriff, and the civil authorities for the riots.<ref>''A History of the People of the United States: From the Revolution to the Civil War'', page 380</ref>
==July riot==
[[Image:DavidRittenhousePorter.jpg|thumb|right|100px|Governor David R. Porter allowed St. Philip Neri's church to create an arsenal.]]
On [[July 3]], Farther John Patrick Dunn of the Church of St. Philip Neri in the [[Southwark, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Southwark District]] was warned in advance of a planned parade by the [[Know Nothing|Native American Party]] that the church might be attacked. The Native American Party, a nativist political party similar to the American Republican Party, planned to hold a large parade the next day on [[Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day]]. To prepare in the case of violence, the church applied for an [[arsenal]] that a volunteer company would use in case the church was attacked. Pennsylvania Governor [[David R. Porter]] authorized the formation of a company and the procurement of twenty-five [[musket]]s from the [[Frankford Arsenal]]. Major General [[Robert Patterson]], commander of the Pennsylvania militia, put the troops on alert in case of violence.<ref name="Philipneri" />
Five of the muskets placed in St. Philip Neri's Church were discovered to be defective and were sent back to the Frankford Arsenal to be repaired. There was no violence before or during the parade, but on [[July 5]], a nativist mob numbering in the thousands gathered at the church after a few local nativists saw the five defective muskets being returned to the church. The nativists demanded that the sheriff remove the weapons, while Father Dunn and volunteers rallied to protect the church. The sheriff and two [[alderman|aldermen]] searched the church and removed twelve muskets. After leaving the church, the sheriff urged the crowd to disperse, and left a volunteer posse to guard the church. The mob remained and a man who was injured in the May riots made a speech to the crowd, calling for a second search of the church. The sheriff, an alderman, and seventeen nativist went inside the church and found three armed men, fifty-three muskets, ten [[Handgun|pistols]], a keg of [[gunpowder]] and ammunition. To avoid inciting the mob, the sheriff decided not to remove the armaments and the search party stayed in the church. Just after midnight, [[July 6]], Major General Patterson ordered a company of city guards to clear the streets. After the crowd dispersed, the arms found within the church were removed.<ref name="Philipneri" /><ref>''Philadelphia: The Place and the People'', page 351</ref>
[[Image:Robert Patterson.jpg|thumb|left|100px|Major General Robert Patterson.]]
By midday, the crowds returned around St. Philip Neri's Church. General George Cadwalader ordered the crowds to disperse, but they did not. By the evening, the sheriff had arrived with a 150 strong posse. Throughout the evening, the military presence grew and three [[cannon]]s were stationed on the streets. The soldiers cleared the streets near the church, despite being pelted with rocks by the mob. In response to the rock throwers, General Cadwalader ordered a cannon to be fired at the crowd on Third Street. A man named Charles Naylor begged the general not to fire and he and several others were arrested and held within the church. By the morning of [[July 7]], most of the soldiers had left, but the crowds returned, being led by an alderman and the sheriff, and demanded that the remaining guard release Naylor. Everyone, but Naylor was released. The crowds grew and a cannon was brought from a nearby [[wharf]] and used to threaten the church. After further negotiations, Naylor was released and carried home to cheers on people's shoulders.<ref name="Philipneri" />
After Naylor was brought home, the mob attacked the church, damaging a wall with the cannon. A second cannon was brought from the wharfs and fired at the church after which the mob pelted the building with rocks and broke in through a side door. The soldiers fired on the men breaking into the church, who promptly retreated. After retreating, the nativists negotiated with the guard who agreed to withdraw, allowing the nativists to guard the church. Responding to being pelted with rocks as they left, some soldiers fired back on the crowd which only incited the mob further. The mob forced its way into the church, causing extensive damage to the interior. After about an hour a group of twenty men organized themselves to guard St. Philip Neri's and the mob left the church.<ref name="Philipneri" />
By the evening, a large number of soldiers arrived with orders to clear the streets, only to be stoned in the process. After a [[Captain (United States)|captain]] was attacked, the order was given to fire on the mob, which resulted in seven people being killed and nine people being wounded. Not long after, people with muskets and cannons arrived and fierce fighting broke out between the soldiers and the mob. The fighting lasted for several hours with the soldiers being fired upon from alleyways and the windows of nearby buildings. The soldiers brought in two cannons of their own and fired on the mob; the mob returned fire using their own cannons armed with items such as nails, chains, knives and broken bottles. In an attempt to capture the mob's cannons, soldiers charged one cannon's position only to be knocked off their horses by a rope tied across the street. The cannons were all eventually captured and by early morning [[July 8]], the fighting had ended.<ref name="Philipneri" /><ref name="phipp352">''Philadelphia: The Place and the People'', pages 352 - 354</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Perry | first=John B. | title=Tremendous Riots in Southwark | work=Exploring Diversity in Pennsylvania History | publisher=The Historical Society of Pennsylvania | date=1844 | url=http://www.hsp.org/files/fullandcompletesouthwarkfinal.pdf | format=PDF | accessdate=2008-06-09 }}</ref>
At least fifteen to twenty people, including both rioters and soldiers, were killed in the riot and at least fifty people were injured.<ref name="history357" /><ref name="Philipneri" /> Under Governor Porter's orders, state troops continued to arrive in the city in the days afterwards, but there was no further violence.<ref name="phipp352" /> An estimated 5,000 militia were used to stop violence.<ref name="history357" /> Troops began to withdraw from the city on [[July 10]] and the church took over responsibility from the district of Southwark of protecting the church on [[July 11]]. As with the May riots, a grand jury blamed the Irish Catholics for the riots, but supported the military's response to the violence.<ref name="Philipneri" />
==Aftermath==
The riots had gained national attention and condemnation. The riots were used as an issue in the [[United States presidential election, 1844|1844 U.S. Presidential election]], the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] condemning the growing Native American Party and the [[Whig Party (United States)|Whig Party]] which the Democrats accused were involved in the nativist movement.<ref>''A History of the People of the United States: From the Revolution to the Civil War'', pages 384 - 385</ref> In Philadelphia, the Native American Party ended up making a strong showing in the city's October election.<ref name="history357359">''Philadelphia: A 300-Year History'', pages 357 - 359</ref> In [[New York City]] there were fears nativists would target New York City's Catholic churches. Archbishop [[John Hughes (archbishop)|John Hughes]] organized defenders for the churches and told the mayor that if any churches were burned that "New York would be another Moscow."<ref name="irish" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Balmer |first=Randall |authorlink=Randall Balmer |coauthors=Mark Silk |title=Religion and public life in the Middle Atlantic region: the fount of diversity |date=2006 |publisher=Rowman Altamira |id=ISBN 0759106371 |pages=Page 76 }}</ref>
On [[July 11]], [[1844]], Philadelphia passed an ordinance that gave the city a [[battalion]] of artillery, a [[regiment]] of infantry and at least one full troop of cavalry for the purpose of providing the preservation of peace within the city when necessary. The difficulty of quelling the riots and other crime led to the [[Pennsylvania General Assembly]] to pass an 1845 act that required Philadelphia, the township of [[Moyamensing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Moyamensing]] and the unincorporated districts of [[Spring Garden District, Pennsylvania|Spring Garden]], [[Northern Liberties, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Northern Liberties]], and [[Penn District, Pennsylvania|Penn]] to maintain a police force of one man per 150 taxable inhabitants. In 1850, another act was passed that established that the [[Philadelphia Police Department|Philadelphia police force]] would police the city and seven surrounding districts. The inability to effectively maintain order in Philadelphia's suburbs would be an important argument for the [[Act of Consolidation, 1854|consolidation of the city in 1854]].<ref name="history357359" />
After the riots, Bishop Kenrick ended his efforts to influence the public education system and began encouraging the creation of Catholic schools, with seventeen being founded by 1860.<ref name="Philipneri" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.catholicschools-phl.org/about/history.htm |title=Office of Catholic Education: History |publisher=Archdiocese of Philadelphia |accessdate=2008-05-12 |quote= }}</ref> The [[friar]]s of the Church of St. Augustine sued the city of Philadelphia for not providing the church with adequate protection claiming US$80,000 in damages. The city argued that the friars could not claim their civil rights were violated as the [[Augustinians|Order of St. Augustine]] were a foreign organization under the Pope. Furthermore the city argued that the friars took a vow of poverty and could not be property owners. The Augustinians ended up proving the Order was incorporated in 1804 and was awarded US$45,000. The church was rebuilt in 1848.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ushistory.org/tour/tour_staug.htm |title=Olde St. Augustine Church |publisher=Independence Hall Association |accessdate=2008-05-12 |quote= }}</ref>
==See also==
{{portal|Philadelphia|Libertybell alone small.jpg}}
*[[Philadelphia Election Riot]]
*[[Lombard Street Riot]]
*[[Philadelphia 1964 race riot]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=394 Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Contemporary sources of the riots]
[[Category:1840s riots]]
[[Category:1844 in the United States]]
[[Category:Crime in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:History of Catholicism in the United States]]
[[Category:History of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Irish American history]]
[[Category:Religiously motivated violence in the United States]]
[[Category:Riots and civil unrest in the United States]]
[[Category:Religion in Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Riots in Philadelphia]]
[[he:המהומות הנייטיביסטיות בפילדלפיה]]