Draft Wheel: African Americans Part II

In July 13, 1863, massive riots spread across Manhattan, due to unfavorable conditions that the Conscription Act established. However, this hastily changed from being a riot for equitableness to be a hunt for black people. Thousands of buildings were burned during the riots, although most of them were owned by African-Americans. The racial nature of the violence during the Draft Riots reached a grand scale when a mob attacked the Colored Orphan’s Asylum, located on Fifth Avenue and 43rd Street. The Orphanage had 233 colored children under its roof, and by 5:00 PM of July 13, a mob had gathered in front of the building. According to Chief Engineer Decker, who was at the asylum at the time the rioters looted and burned the asylum as they shouted “Kill the monkeys.” By the time the rioters penetrated the Asylum, the staff and Mr. Decker had safely evacuated all of the children to Madison Avenue. However the mob noticed that and tried to attacked them. Deaths would have been inevitable if it wash’ t for a young Irish man called Paddy M’Caffrey who drove the mob’s attention by insulting them. Had it not been for the courageous conduct of the parties mentioned, there is little doubt that many, and perhaps all of those helpless children, would have been brutally murdered by the choleric mob.