The Detroit race riot of 1863 occurred on March 6, 1863, in the city of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, Michigan, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. At the time, the ''Detroit Free Press'' reported these events as "the bloodiest day that ever dawned upon Detroit." It began due to unrest among the working class related to

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonis ...

and the

military draft Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day und ...

,''Detroit Free Press'', 7 March 1863 which was heightened after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

. Based in a free state, some recent immigrants and other workers resented being drafted for a war that they thought was waged for the benefit of slaves in the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

, and they feared competition from Black people. At least two civilians were killed, one white and one Black, and numerous others, mostly African Americans, were badly beaten and injured. In total, 35 buildings were destroyed by fire, with many others damaged, and Black residents lost property and cash to the looting and stealing of the mob. Losses were estimated at minimum US$15,000 to as much as US$20,000 (). More than 200 people, mostly Black, were left homeless. Although the Michigan Legislature recommended compensation, the

Detroit City Council The Detroit City Council is the legislative body of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The full-time council is required to meet every business day for at least 10 months of the year, with at least eight of these meetings occurring at a location ...

refused to approve it. As a result of the riot, the city of Detroit established a full-time police force, which was dominated by whites into the late 20th century.

Background

During the months preceding the riot, social tensions rose in the city. It had a white majority but a thriving black community, made up both of free black people who had migrated there and refugee slaves who had fled the South. Located just across the Detroit River from Canada, which had abolished slavery in 1834, the city was a major "station" on the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

in the antebellum years. Some fugitive slaves chose to settle in Detroit, since Michigan was a non-slave state. The City Council was dominated by Democrats, and many of the Irish and German immigrants belonged to that party. The ''Detroit Free Press'' was a Democratic Party paper that was opposed to President

's conduct of the American Civil War and its increasing demand for recruits. The newspaper advocated

white supremacy White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White s ...

and was pro-labor. In the months leading up to the riot, the newspaper frequently published articles connecting "blacks to labor problems, blacks to citizenship issues, blacks to the war, and blacks to crime and a general degradation of the moral order", stressing how they were a threat to working-class white men and their limited power. Following the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1863, the newspaper published articles that frequently opposed the interests of blacks. By contrast, the ''Detroit Advertiser and Tribune'' largely spoke for the Republican Party, supporting abolitionism and the war as a just cause. It criticized the ''Free Press'' for inciting the riot by inflaming passions and agitating against blacks. For a month after the riot, the ''Advertiser and Tribune'' published articles referring to the "Free Press Mob". Three days prior to the beginning of the riots,

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

passed the Enrollment Act which required single men age 20 to 45 and married men up to age 35 to register for the

draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...

. This act angered many northern whites, mainly Irish immigrants who had accepted U.S. citizenship, not realizing that citizenship also made immigrants liable for the draft. Fuel was added to the fire of their anger when black men, mostly freed slaves, were excluded from this same draft. The Irish feared that newly freed slaves from the South would migrate to the North and create further competition in the labor market. Many Irish saw this as a "rich man's war and a poor man's fight" since the policies of substitution and commutation were controversial practices which allowed drafted citizens to opt out of service by either furnishing a suitable substitute to take the place of those drafted, or pay $300 each. Both of these provisions were created with the intention of softening the effect of the draft on pacifiers, the anti-draft movement and the propertied classes. The result however was general public resentment which then turned to fury.

Events

mixed-race Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-eth ...

man, Thomas Faulkner, was arrested for allegedly molesting a young white girl, and tried in court (the two girls whose testimony was critical to his arrest both recanted their stories years later). Although Faulkner had voted regularly (a privilege reserved to whites) and identified as Spanish-Indian, both newspapers described him as "negro", and that was how the whites came to regard him. The trial attracted volatile crowds of whites, who threw items at Faulkner and guards as he was escorted to and from the court. The second day of the trial, whites started to attack blacks outside the courthouse. The commander of the Provost Guard escorting Faulkner ordered the firing of blanks to push back the crowd. Next, live ammunition was fired (although it is not clear that the commander ordered it). A white civilian named Charles Langer who observed the rioting was killed. The crowd was enraged that a German was killed at the trial of a man they considered less worthy. They immediately started attacking black civilians on the street and went to a nearby known black business, a cooper's shop. Workers tried to defend it but the mob burned the shop and adjacent house, threatening black women and children inside. They attacked the five men who escaped from the flames, severely wounding Joshua Boyd (an escaped slave from the South, he had been saving his earnings in order to buy his wife and children out of slavery). He was later beaten more by the mob and died four days later. Although grievously wounded, the other four men survived, as did the women and children. Some were aided by whites. Survivors said the mob attacked black businesses and houses, looting them of anything valuable, and stealing from the residents. The whites eventually moved beyond the black area into poor white areas, continuing the destruction. Some blacks fled the area, going across the Detroit River to Canada or west to what was then the independent community of Corktown. The city finally ordered in troops from Ypsilanti and Fort Wayne, and by 11 p.m. had suppressed the violence. More than 200 blacks and some whites had lost their homes to the destruction. There was an estimated $15,000 to 20,000 in property damage, mostly suffered by blacks.

Aftermath

Faulkner was convicted and sentenced to prison for life. Several years later, the two girls who testified against him recanted their story, and Faulkner was pardoned. He returned to Detroit, where some white businessmen helped him start a produce business. The city held an inquiry on the death of Boyd, but no one was prosecuted for his death. Although the Michigan Legislature encouraged compensation for the victims of the riot, the

, dominated by Democrats, refused to do so. These tax-paying citizens, who had not been protected and whose property had been stolen and destroyed, were left to recover and remake their lives on their own.Anonymous, ''A Thrilling Narrative from the Lips of the Sufferers of the Late Detroit Riot, March 6, 1863, With the Hair Breadth Escapes of Men, Women and Children, and Destruction of Colored Men's Property''
Detroit: The Author, 1863; includes accounts by people attacked in the riot, and excerpts from articles published by the ''Detroit Advertiser and Tribune'' As a result of the riot, the city established a full-time police force. It was dominated by ethnic whites into the late 20th century. This became a civil rights issue, as the city's minority population had been closed out of the force.

References

External links

Detroit: The Author, 1863. {{Lynching in the United States 1863 in Michigan 1863 riots German-American history Irish-American history March 1863 events 1860s in Detroit African-American history in Detroit Racially motivated violence against African Americans White American riots in the United States Riots and civil unrest during the American Civil War

1863 Events January–March * January 1 – Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation during the third year of the American Civil War, making the abolition of slavery in the Confederate states an official war goal. It proclaim ...

American anti-abolitionist riots and civil disorder History of racism in Michigan

Background

Events

Aftermath

See also

References

Further reading

External links