Snow Riot
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The Snow Riot was a
riot A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targete ...
and lynch mob in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, which began on August 11, 1835, when a mob of angry white mechanics attacked and destroyed Beverly Snow's Epicurean Eating House, a restaurant owned by a black man. This violence, born of white men's frustration about having to compete with free blacks for jobs, touched off several days of white mob violence against free blacks, their houses, and establishments. It stopped only at
President Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
's intervention.


History

In 1835, the city of Washington was facing unprecedented tension between
abolitionists Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The Britis ...
and slavery defenders in the wake of
Nat Turner's slave rebellion Nat Turner's Rebellion, historically known as the Southampton Insurrection, was a rebellion of enslaved Virginians that took place in Southampton County, Virginia, in August 1831.Schwarz, Frederic D.1831 Nat Turner's Rebellion" ''American Heri ...
of 1831 and the revolt in Jamaica at the end of that year which, despite being defeated, resulted in the final abolition of slavery in British colonies in 1833. The uprising had spread panic and fear spread across the
slave states In the United States before 1865, a slave state was a state in which slavery and the internal or domestic slave trade were legal, while a free state was one in which they were not. Between 1812 and 1850, it was considered by the slave states ...
(including the District of Columbia). Abolitionists were flooding Congress with petitions to end slavery in the nation's capital, so many that the House adopted a series of
gag rule A gag rule is a rule that limits or forbids the raising, consideration, or discussion of a particular topic, often but not always by members of a legislative or decision-making body. A famous example of gag rules is the series of rules concernin ...
s to automatically
table Table may refer to: * Table (furniture), a piece of furniture with a flat surface and one or more legs * Table (landform), a flat area of land * Table (information), a data arrangement with rows and columns * Table (database), how the table data ...
them. However, there were also a significant number of whites waiting for their moment to avenge the slave uprising of 1831. The event that sparked the riots in 1835 was when an inebriated slave, Arthur Bowen, came into his mistress Anna Thorton's bedroom with an axe. Bowen did not strike or attempt to strike his mistress. However, the fact that a slave had the opportunity to
rebel A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; s ...
against slave owners and whites infuriated slavery defenders in the city. Bowen was ultimately taken into custody without harm, as this gave
proslavery Proslavery is a support for slavery. It is found in the Bible, in the thought of ancient philosophers, in British writings and in American writings especially before the American Civil War but also later through 20th century. Arguments in favor o ...
advocates an opportunity to go after the man they believed was leading the distribution of abolitionist material in Washington, Reuben Crandall.
District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...
Francis Scott Key Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779January 11, 1843) was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet from Frederick, Maryland, who wrote the lyrics for the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner". Key observed the British bombardment ...
, writer of the United States'
national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...
, "
The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the b ...
", was the leading man behind the arrest and prosecution of Crandall. Crandall was found innocent, and the incident publicly embarrassed Key and ended his political career. That summer the nation experienced the first labor strike by federal employees, the
1835 Washington Navy Yard labor strike The Washington Navy Yard labor strike of 1835 is considered the first strike of federal civilian employees. The strike began on Wednesday July 31, 1835, and ended August 15, 1835. The strike supported the movement advocating a ten-hour workday and ...
, which began on 29 July 1835, when Commodore
Isaac Hull Isaac Hull (March 9, 1773 – February 13, 1843) was a Commodore in the United States Navy. He commanded several famous U.S. naval warships including ("Old Ironsides") and saw service in the undeclared naval Quasi War with the revolutionary Fre ...
issued an order in response to thefts limiting workers' lunch privileges. The Navy Yard strikers wanted a ten-hour day and for Hull to retract his order. The
labor strike Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became common during the I ...
immediately exposed longstanding racial discord in the Yard. In a letter to the
Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...
Mahlon Dickerson, Commodore Hull stated that 175 white mechanics and workers had joined the strike. This was the first strike by federal shipyard workers. Many scholars have found a "direct linkage between the Washington Navy Yard strike and riot. Both national and local events in 1835 combined to bring workers to strike, but long standing racial fears and anxieties moved the Yard’s white workers to take the lead in the "Snow Riot." In an undated diary entry for August 1835, African-American diarist
Michael Shiner Michael G. Shiner (1805–1880) was an African-American Navy Yard worker and diarist who chronicled events in Washington D.C. for more than 60 years, first as a slave and later as a free man. His diary is the earliest-known by an African Americ ...
confirmed intimidation by white workers and their demand that the black caulkers stop work riginal spelling retained "Commodore Hull ishsared and evry one of them struck and said they wouldnt work anny moore and at the same time they were collered man from Baltimore by the name of Israel Jones a caulker by Trade he was the forman Caulker of those Colerded Caulkers and they were fifteen or twenty of them here at that time Caulkin on the Columbia and the Carpenters made all of them knock oft two." On the same page Shiner relates there was "a Rumor flying around about a colered man by the name of Snow about an expression he had made about the Mechanics wifes god kowes wether he said those things or not and at that time snow kept a Restaurant on the Corner of six street and pennsilvanian west in the cellar and at the time all the Mechanics of classes gathered into snows Restaurant and broke him up Root and Branch and they were after snow but he flew for his life and that night after they had broke snow up they threatened to come to the navy yard after commodore Hull." But they did not come that night and the next day Commodore Hull received orders from the Navy Department from the Hon Secretary of the Navy Mr Levy Woodbury
Levi Woodbury Levi Woodbury (December 22, 1789September 4, 1851) was an American attorney, jurist, and Democratic politician from New Hampshire. During a four-decade career in public office, Woodbury served as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the U ...
to fortify the yard"? After breaking up his restaurant, the mechanics drank all of Snow's stock of whiskey and champagne. However, Snow had fled, and the white rioters were unable to locate him. Mobs of whites continued to attack all establishments run by free blacks: schools, churches, and businesses. The strike had "quickly morphed into a race riot" as striking Washington Navy Yard white mechanics and laborers took out their resentment on the black population. This resulted in a huge mob of whites in the capital attacking all establishments run by free blacks: schools, churches and businesses. "White mechanics and carpenters on strike at the Navy Yard caught wind of a vicious rumor that further inflamed their anger and resentment. They heard a free black restaurateur named Beverley Snow had said something disrespectful about their wives and daughters." The first destination the mob attacked was Snow's Epicurean Eating House, a restaurant owned by Beverly Snow, who was known for serving sophisticated and luxurious food. It was ransacked by the mob, who were in search of Snow because of his status as a free black owner. However, the mob were unable to locate him. The pro-slavery ''United States Telegraph'' justified the mob's violent actions against free blacks as primarily economic: "The reason of all these attacks on the blacks is, they enter into competition for work at a lower rate." Josephine Seaton, the daughter of the publisher of the ''
National Intelligencer The ''National Intelligencer and Washington Advertiser'' was a newspaper published in Washington, D.C., from October 30, 1800 until 1870. It was the first newspaper published in the District, which was founded in 1790. It was originally a Tri- ...
,'' William Seaton, reflected in a letter on the strike and subsequent riot: "Snow will certainly be torn to pieces by the mechanics if he be caught, and they are in full pursuit of him. Unfortunately, several hundred mechanics of the navy yard are out of employment, who, aided and abetted by their sympathizers, create the mob, — the first I have ever seen, not recollecting those of Sheffield, and it is truly alarming." The perceptive Seaton was one of the few observers to see that the strike revealed the corrosive effects of racism on the Navy Yard workforce, as white workers sought to blame their own precarious economic situation on both free and enslaved African Americans. After days of disorder and riot, President
Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
ordered a company of
U.S. Marines The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary warfare, exped ...
to restore order. After
mediation Mediation is a structured, interactive process where an impartial third party neutral assists disputing parties in resolving conflict through the use of specialized communication and negotiation techniques. All participants in mediation are ...
, the Navy Yard labor strike ended on 15 August 1835. While the striking mechanics were allowed to return to work, they gained little from the strike; the subsequent riot left as part of its legacy a deep and abiding racial mistrust, which would linger. The city's black community, though, were the chief sufferers; they received no compensation for the destruction of their houses and churches. Blacks not only received no sympathy or aid, but the District Council quickly passed "a new ordinance aimed at them: (they not their attackers) were forbidden to assemble after sundown." For the next century, the history of the strike and Snow race riot remained an embarrassment to be glossed over and disassociated from the District of Columbia and
Washington Navy Yard The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy. The Yard currently serves as a ceremonial and administrativ ...
's official histories.


Background of Beverly Snow

Beverly Randolph Snow was born of mixed parentage (he is referred to as a
mulatto (, ) is a racial classification to refer to people of mixed African and European ancestry. Its use is considered outdated and offensive in several languages, including English and Dutch, whereas in languages such as Spanish and Portuguese is ...
in various newspapers) in
Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner John Lynch (1740–1820), John Lynch, the city's populati ...
, about 1799.Morely, Jefferson, ''Snow Storm in August Washington City, Francis Scott Key, and The Forgotten Race Riot of 1835'' Doubleday: New York 2012 pp. 1–3 He was born enslaved on the estate of Captain William Norvell. By the provisions of Norvell's last will, Snow was given to Norvell's daughter, Susannah Norvell Warwick, with the provision that Snow be manumitted at the age of 30. The Norvell family allowed Snow to operate a small oyster house on Lynch Street in Lynchburg, where he was allowed to keep some of the profits. During this time Snow married a young free woman named Julia. Snow was manumitted in November 1829. He and Julia left Virginia, which had harsh restrictions on free blacks, and moved into the
District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, Washington city. Snow was different than most free blacks, as he was educated, wealthy, successful, and "perhaps even a bit snobbish". He was one of a number of black entrepreneurs who owned businesses in the downtown area. His success was evidence of the strength of Washington's free black population. In Washington, D.C., Snow opened a popular restaurant, the Epicurean Eating House, located on the corner of 6th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue SE. This was the beginning of the Snow Riot of 1835. Beverly Snow's success made him the subject of white resentment and envy. Snow's restaurant placed emphasis on sophisticated and healthy food cleverly advertised, with the practical message of "Health Bought Cheap." In August 1835, large mobs of white mechanics and laborers rampaged through the District, seeking to destroy the property and terrorize free blacks. The mob, composed of mechanics on strike from the Washington Navy Yard, had heard a rumor that Snow had insulted their wives. Furthermore, the mob resented Snow's business success. Large numbers of these rioters entered his restaurant looking for him and proceeded to "bust up the entire facility". While doing so they drank all the whiskey and champagne. The mob later yelled "Now for Snow's house!" Breaking in, they looked for abolitionist literature; finding none, they destroyed the furniture. Unable to find Beverly, the mob attacked black schools and churches. The riot became known as the "Snow Riot" or "Snow Storm."


Life after the Snow Riot

Snow and his wife, Julia, escaped from the rioters and moved to
Toronto, Canada Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor ...
, where he again opened successful restaurants. His first venture was a coffee shop at the corner of Church and Colburn Street. He later opened the Epicurean Recess, then the Phoenix Saloon in 1848, followed by the Exchange Saloon in 1856. Snow died in Toronto on October 21, 1856. He and Julia are buried in the
Toronto Necropolis Toronto Necropolis is a non-denominational cemetery in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the west side of the Don River valley, to the north of Riverdale Farm in the Cabbagetown neighbourhood. The cemetery was opened during the 1850s to ...
.Morley, p. 244.


See also

*
1835 Washington Navy Yard labor strike The Washington Navy Yard labor strike of 1835 is considered the first strike of federal civilian employees. The strike began on Wednesday July 31, 1835, and ended August 15, 1835. The strike supported the movement advocating a ten-hour workday and ...
*
List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States Listed are major episodes of civil unrest in the United States. This list does not include the numerous incidents of destruction and violence associated with various sporting events. 18th century *1783 – Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783, June 20 ...


References


Bibliography

* Asch, C. M. (January 1, 2012). Book Review: Snow-Storm in August: Washington City, Francis Scott Key, and the Forgotten Race Riot of 1835. ''Washington History, 24,'' 2, 168–170. * Dickey, J.D. ''Empire of Mud The Secret History of Washington DC'' Lyons Press:Guilford 2014, p. 128. * Frederick Herald. "Mobs." ''Virginia Free Press'' harlestown, West Virginia20 Aug. 1835: n.p. ''19th Century U.S. Newspapers''. Web. 11 Nov. 2015. * Morley, J. (2012). ''Snow-storm in August: Washington City, Francis Scott Key, and the forgotten race riot of 1835''. New York: Nan A. Talese/Doubleday. * Morley, J. (2013). ''Snow-storm in August: The struggle for American freedom and Washington's race riot of 1835''. * Shiner, M., Sharp, J. G., & United States. (2008). ''The Diary of Michael Shiner relating to the History of the Washington Navy Yard 1813-1865''. Washington, D.C: Navy Dept. Library.


External links

* * {{cite web, title=Snow Riot, date=12 August 1835 , url=http://mallhistory.org/items/show/183, publisher=Mall History, accessdate=14 August 2015
Eyewitness Account of the Snow Riot
Riots and civil disorder in Washington, D.C. 1835 in Washington, D.C. 1835 riots August 1835 events White American riots in the United States 1835 labor disputes and strikes White American culture in Washington, D.C. American anti-abolitionist riots and civil disorder African-American history of Washington, D.C. Racially motivated violence against African Americans Anti-black racism in Washington, D.C.