Civil War Draft Riots Explored at Monday Lecture

The Museum of Newport Irish History announces the second talk in its 13th Annual Michael F. Crowley Lecture Series, Monday, October 6 at 6:00 p.m. at the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, 194 Bellevue Avenue, Newport.

Edward T. O’Donnell, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History at Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass., will present a talk entitled “Streets of Fire: The Irish and the Civil War Draft Riots of July 1863.” The Draft Riots of July 1863 in New York City constitute the largest civil uprising in American history, with at least 118 people killed, including a dozen free blacks who were lynched. Although people of many backgrounds participated in the violence, the Irish played the most prominent role. Professor O’Donnell’s presentation, augmented by more than 75 visuals, will examine key questions such as, why did Lincoln decide to impose a draft? Why did the Irish oppose the draft, especially when so many thousands of Irish had joined the Union Army? What key social and political factors led the Irish to riot? How did the riots unfold over four days and how were they ultimately suppressed? Why were the rioters especially brutal towards African Americans? And finally, what was the significance of the riots in terms of this history of the Civil War?

Lecture attendees should enter the Tennis Hall of Fame complex via the archway at 194 Bellevue Avenue where they will be directed to an elevator to the second floor lecture venue, which is fully accessible. Following the talk, a reception with light hors d’oeuvres will be held and a cash bar is available, courtesy of the La Forge Casino Restaurant.

Members of the community at large are warmly welcomed The lecture fee is $3 for Museum of Newport Irish History members and $15 for non-members, which may be applied to a 1-year membership in the organization.

Reservations are requested. To reserve, please contact Ann Arnold at 401-841-5493 or tpm1@earthlink.net

About the Guest Speaker
Edward T. O’Donnell was born in Gloucester, MA to Irish American parents. He earned his doctorate in American History from Columbia University and currently is Assoc. Professor of History at Holy Cross College in Worcester, MA. He is the author of several books, including Ship Ablaze: The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum (Random House, 2003), 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Irish American History (Random House/Broadway Books, 2002), Visions of America: A History of the United States (co-author, Pearson, 2009), and the forthcoming Henry George and the Crisis of Gilded Age America (June 2015, Columbia University Press). His scholarly articles have appeared in the Public Historian, Journal of Urban History, and the Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. He has also worked on several major museum exhibits on Irish American history, including serving as curatorial consultant to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in NYC for their Irish Family Apartment (opened, June 2008). This is his second lecture for the Museum of Newport Irish History

About the Museum of Newport Irish History
Founded in 1996, the Museum of Newport Irish History is a non-profit 501c3 organization with nearly 700 members. The organization sponsors numerous educational and social events throughout the year, including the popular Michael F. Crowley fall-winter Lecture Series.

The Museum operates an Interpretive Center at 648 Lower Thames Street, just south of Narragansett Avenue. Visitors to the Center will learn about Irish immigration to Newport County from the 1600s to the present and of the many contributions made to our community by individuals of Irish descent. The exhibits, which were designed by Northeast Collaborative Architects, Inc., include maps, photographs, video, and artifacts, including some from the construction of nearby Fort Adams, which was built with Irish immigrant labor. 2014 Season hours are 12:00 noon – 5:00 p.m., Thursday through Sunday, through October 26. Group visits at other times may be arranged by appointment. Admission is free for members of the Museum of Newport Irish History and by donation for others. Free parking is available in a small lot behind the building or on-street.

For more information about the Museum of Newport Irish History, please visit www.NewportIrishHistory.org or write NewportIrishHistory@gmail.com