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South of Union Square
Place
Colored Orphan Asylum (1867)
West 143rd Street and Amsterdam Avenue

Posts & Stories(1)

Terror, Murder, and Mayhem: the Draft Riots image

Terror, Murder, and Mayhem: the Draft Riots
Story

In the mid-summer of 1863, tensions in New York had reached a boiling point. To replenish the Union Army after devastating casualties, Congress had passed the enrollment act, enacting the first draft. In New York, many of the newly arrived immigrants had been pushed by Tammany Hall and other political machines to become citizens, which made them eligible for this new draft. These newly minted citizens became incensed by the prospect of being drafted, and the anger quickly grew. The drawing of the draft numbers was a spark that drove the city into what would become the worst race riot of its history. Days later, anywhere from a hundred and twenty to more than a thousand were killed, thousands more injured, and with many prominent African-American and Abolitionist buildings destroyed.

Photos(1)

Colored Orphan Asylum (1867) image

Colored Orphan Asylum (1867)

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