Rye Historical Society's Annual History Luncheon: The Civil War Draft Riots of 1863

The Civil War Draft Riots of 1863

Speaker: Barnet Schecter

Nine days after the pivotal Battle of Gettysburg, the largest riots in American history erupted on the streets of New York City in response to the first-ever nationwide draft. They raged for four days nearly destroying the financial, industrial, and commercial hub of the nation. While many Northerners suspected a Confederate plot by local "Copperhead" sympathizers, the reality was far more complex, exposing fault lines of race and class still present in America today.

Join us as noted author and historian, Barnet Schecter, brings to life this important, but little-known episode in Civil War history.