New York anti-abolitionist riots (1834) facts for kids

Beginning on July 7, 1834, New York City experienced a large and violent event known as the anti-abolitionist riot. It was also called the Farren Riot or Tappan Riot. This riot lasted for almost a week until the military stepped in to stop it. During this time, rioters took control of parts of the city. They attacked the homes, businesses, and churches of abolitionist leaders. They also damaged Black neighborhoods.

Why the Riots Started

The riots had deep roots in New York City. One reason was a feeling called nativism. This was a belief that people born in the country were better than immigrants. Another reason was the strong feelings around abolitionism, which was the movement to end slavery. Many Protestants who had long controlled the city held these views.

At the same time, there was a growing number of Irish immigrants arriving in New York. Many of these new arrivals felt afraid of and resentful towards Black people. In 1827, rules about leaving Ireland changed, and many Irish people moved to New York. By 1835, over 30,000 Irish immigrants were arriving each year.

Abolitionist Leaders and Rumors

In May and June of 1834, two wealthy silk merchants, Arthur Tappan and his brother Lewis, became more active in the fight against slavery. They helped start a women's anti-slavery group in New York. Arthur Tappan drew attention by sitting with a mixed-race clergyman named Samuel Cornish in his church.

By June, false and shocking rumors were spreading. A newspaper called Courier and Enquirer, run by James Watson Webb, spread these stories. The rumors claimed that abolitionists were telling their daughters to marry Black people. They also said that Black men were riding horses on Broadway looking for white wives. One rumor even claimed Arthur Tappan had divorced his wife to marry a Black woman.

The Chatham Street Chapel Incident

Reports from London newspapers, which got their information from American papers, pointed to an event at the Chatham Street Chapel as the spark for the riots. This chapel was a former theater that Arthur Tappan had helped pay to convert into a church.

On July 4, a group of Black and white people met at the chapel. They were celebrating New York's decision in 1827 to free its remaining enslaved people. However, angry onlookers broke up their celebration. The group decided to reschedule their celebration for July 7.

On July 7, a Black congregation was using the chapel for a church service. This was allowed by the secretary of the New York Sacred Music Society, which usually rented the chapel. But members of the society, who didn't know about the arrangement, arrived and demanded to use the building. A fight broke out, causing injuries and damage. Police arrived and arrested six Black people. Webb's newspaper called it a "Negro riot" caused by "Arthur Tappan's mad impertinence." Another paper reported that groups of Black people were planning to burn down the city.

Riots Begin in New York

On Wednesday evening, July 9, three connected riots started. Several thousand white people gathered at the Chatham Street Chapel. They wanted to stop a planned anti-slavery meeting. When the abolitionists, who had been warned, did not show up, the crowd broke into the chapel. They held their own meeting, making fun of Black people and calling for them to be sent to Africa.

Attacks on Abolitionist Homes and Theaters

At the same time, rioters targeted the home of Lewis Tappan on Rose Street. Lewis and his family had already left, but the rioters threw his furniture out of the windows and set it on fire in the street. The mayor arrived with the police, but the crowd cheered for Webb and forced the police away.

Four thousand rioters also went to the Bowery Theatre. They wanted to get back at George P. Farren, the theater's English stage manager. Farren was an abolitionist and had supposedly made an anti-American comment. He had also fired an American actor. People who supported slavery had put up flyers around New York telling about Farren's actions.

A play was happening at the theater as a benefit for Farren. The manager and an actor tried to calm the rioters. The crowd demanded an apology from Farren and called for Black people to be sent away. The riot seemed to calm down when Farren showed the American flag. A performer named George Washington Dixon, who performed in blackface, sang "Yankee Doodle" and a minstrel song called "Zip Coon" which made fun of a Black man from the North. The mayor spoke to the crowd, followed by Dixon, and the mob slowly left.

Growing Violence and Destruction

The violence got worse over the next two days, likely fueled by more flyers. The Mayor's office made a list of other places the rioters planned to attack. This included the home of Reverend Joshua Leavitt, who was an editor and manager of the American Anti-Slavery Society. Arthur Tappan's store was protected by his staff, who were armed with guns.

The angry crowds attacked homes, businesses, churches, and other buildings connected to abolitionists and Black people. More than seven churches and a dozen houses were damaged. Many of these belonged to Black families. The home of Reverend Peter Williams Jr., a Black Episcopal priest, was damaged. St. Philip's Episcopal Church was completely destroyed. One group of rioters reportedly carried a large barrel of black ink. They planned to dunk white abolitionists in it. The home of Reverend Samuel Hanson Cox was also attacked and damaged. The worst of the rioting happened in an area called the Five Points.

Ending the Riots

The riots finally stopped when the New York First Division, a military group, was called out by the Mayor on July 11. They helped the police. The military marched through the streets during the day and night of July 12. They were ready to fire on the crowd if the riots started again.

Also on July 12, the American Anti-Slavery Society released a statement to the public. They wanted to make some things clear:

AMERICAN ANTI-SLAVERY SOCIETY: DISCLAIMER. –

The people listed below, on behalf of the American Anti-Slavery Society and other leaders who are away from the city, ask their fellow citizens to read the following statement:—
1. We do not want to encourage or promote marriages between white and Black people.
2. We do not agree with the language of a flyer recently shared in this city. This flyer seems to encourage people to go against the laws. We believe that even difficult laws should be followed by everyone until they can be changed peacefully.
We also state, as we have before, that we do not intend to break up the United States, or to go against the country's laws and Constitution. We do not ask Congress to do anything beyond its constitutional powers, which ending slavery in any state by Congress would clearly be.

July 12, 1834

ARTHUR TAPPAN
JOHN RANKIN

At the time, some people thought the riots were what the abolitionist leaders deserved. They believed the leaders had tried to control what people thought about ending slavery. These people saw the rioters as showing the anger of an insulted community and a furious public. Some historians agree that the riots were about who would control public discussions and community values, with social class being a key issue.