In the 21st century, Philadelphia is known as a tolerant city, open to all communities, regardless of their religious beliefs, sexual orientation, and so on. But this wasn’t always the case. In the 1830s, riots related to the conflict between Catholics and Protestants began in various U.S. cities. The conflict reached Philadelphia and the surrounding region, where from May to July 1844, large-scale and bloody clashes between religious communities took place.
After these events, the authorities and citizens began to consider new approaches to maintaining order. This eventually led to the consolidation of the county. We’ll tell you more about the protests and their consequences at philadelphiayes.
Religious Antagonism in Philadelphia
The religious conflicts in Philadelphia that escalated in the 19th century had deep roots. Most of the original colonists in the region were Protestants, for whom religious freedom was often the reason for emigrating from Europe. However, over time, many Catholics also began arriving in Philadelphia, leading to clashes between these groups as early as the 1780s.
In 1828, the first religiously motivated murder occurred in the city. In 1831, a bloody clash took place between Irish Catholics and Protestants.
In the early 1840s, this conflict began to intensify. The main cause was the perceived threat to the Catholic Bible in public schools. Irish immigrant and Catholic Bishop Francis Patrick Kenrick spoke out against the influence of Protestant teachers who were forcing students to read the King James Bible and sing Protestant hymns.
These and similar complaints, in turn, united the nativists—the Protestants. In 1842, they formed the American Protestant Association to “protect America from the influence of Catholicism.” The following year, editor Lewis Levin, in his publication “The Daily Sun,” began attacking Catholicism and Catholic immigrants. With his support, a nativist political party, the American Republican Association, was founded.
The Escalation of Religious Conflict and the Start of the Riots
In 1844, the disputes described above became particularly heated in Kensington, a suburb northeast of Philadelphia. The area was home to many Irish immigrants, with significant communities of both Catholics and Protestants.
In February of that year, Hugh Clark, the principal of a local Catholic school, proposed suspending Bible readings by students. He believed the school board should develop clear rules that would be supported by representatives of all religious denominations. Nativists viewed this proposal as a threat to their freedom. Thousands of people gathered for the first time at Independence Square to protest. In May 1844, they gathered again in Kensington, but the meeting was dispersed by local authorities.
Violence erupted three days later. Nativists repeated their meeting on May 6 and started a fight with Catholics, during which a young Protestant named George Shiffler was killed. Later, several other protesters died from their injuries. The protests continued, spreading throughout Philadelphia, and fires began to break out in the city.
The sheriff then requested assistance from the First Brigade of the Pennsylvania Militia and its commander, Brigadier General George Cadwalader. The troops did not meet with much resistance on the city streets. Instead, arson and acts of violence continued. A mob destroyed a Catholic seminary, two Catholic churches, and several private homes, including Hugh Clark’s residence. Police and public squads began arriving in Philadelphia from other cities to quell the unrest. They were soon joined by U.S. Army and Navy troops, and the violence ceased on May 10.
Further Clashes
Calm returned to the streets of Philadelphia, but tension still hung in the air. Both Catholics and Protestants were anticipating new outbreaks of violence and clashes. In Southwark, a southern neighborhood of Philadelphia, both groups began collecting weapons. When this became known in early July, new protests began. Crowds gathered for several days, demanding that the weapons be confiscated.
The sheriff once again sought help from George Cadwalader, who, with 200 fighters, headed to the site of the protests. He managed to persuade the people to disperse without bloodshed, and quiet was restored for a few days. However, it turned out to be the calm before the storm.
A crowd gathered again on July 7. This time, the people were armed with cannons. Local Catholics had imprisoned several Protestants in a church, and the crowd was demanding their release. The general and his soldiers returned to Southwark that evening and again tried to persuade the protesters to disperse. Instead, stones, bricks, and bottles were thrown at the troops from the crowd. The soldiers returned fire, wounding many and killing two. The crowd became enraged and tried to counterattack the soldiers.
Fighting continued on the streets of Southwark until almost morning, including the use of cannons. There were many wounded and dead on both sides. The clash ended when the soldiers left the area. However, even more troops were sent to Philadelphia to patrol the streets and help prevent new riots.
The Results of the Nativist Riots in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, like many other American cities, experienced a surge of religious clashes starting in the 1830s. In the U.S., they rarely lasted for more than a day or turned into real street battles. This is why the Philadelphia riots of 1844 stood out from the rest, both in their duration and their brutality. Journalists and politicians, who often fueled hatred between Protestants and Catholics, contributed to this. At first glance, it might have seemed that the anti-Catholic violence simply spread from Northern Ireland, but there were many deliberate provocations in the city.
Despite everything that happened, the conflict between the different Irish groups in Philadelphia remained unresolved. Most Philadelphians were unwilling to publicly support the attacks on Catholics. In fact, more than 2,000 people signed a petition supporting the actions of the soldiers who dispersed the protesting crowds using weapons. In October, elections were held in Philadelphia. Voter turnout was quite high, but only a few supporters of the nativist policy won seats in Congress. Thus, the violent actions of the Protestants were not supported and did not find understanding among the public.
At the same time, local authorities and Philadelphians themselves became interested in another issue: plans to strengthen the police force and prevent similar riots in the future. In the spring of 1845, a law was passed requiring every major city and district of Philadelphia County to expand its police force to at least one officer for every 150 taxpayers. In 1850, a new police district of Philadelphia was created, covering the entire city, including the most remote areas such as Kensington and Southwark. This ultimately led to the consolidation of Philadelphia County in 1854, with the creation of a single government.
So, the nativist riots in Philadelphia had consequences, but not at all what their participants expected. The authorities and residents did everything they could to protect themselves from such events in the future and to maintain peace on the streets.