Most people know that the Irish came to the United States in droves during the Great Hunger (Potato Famine) years. However, there were Irish in the States even before that. They were throughout the country, but there were large populations in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. In 1844, these Irish immigrants would be the targets of a brutal attack.
Setting the Scene
In the early 1840s, Philadelphia was not city like it is
today. It was made up of smaller towns and boroughs. Kensington was located
north of the city proper and was a hub of Irish textile workers. There was no
unified law enforcement, and political geography made conditions just right for
violence.
Around this time, Kensington’s main industry was weaving,
and the Irish Catholic immigrants dominated the field. These immigrants were
concentrated between North 2nd and North Cadwallader streets. They lived and
worked in three-story homes amidst the shanties (factories) where handloom
weavers worked.
These immigrants founded St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church
in Kensington in 1831. The church was made to serve the Irish population in the
surrounding area.
However, the Irish immigrants were not the only people
living in this particular section of the city. Anti-immigrant American-born
Protestant Anglos saw themselves as “native” Americans and viewed the Irish
immigrants as invaders. They viewed the Irish as people who isolated themselves
from other groups, unwilling to assimilate into American life.
Riots Ensue
The largest source of contention was the nativists’ fears of
the Irish immigrants’ popery and their tendencies to be “clannish.” However,
the root of these fears was the concern that the Irish would be competing for
their jobs.
Tensions heated up, and in May of 1844, the nativists began
a violent riot at Kensington’s Nanny Goat Market. Aside from St. Michael’s
Church, the Nanny Goat Market was a hub for the Irish immigrants. This riot
lasted for three days, from May 6 to May 8 that year.
Although tensions had been boiling for a while, the
immediate cause of the violence was the Irish Catholic opposition to the
exclusive use of the Protestant Bible in public schools. This is why the riots
are known as the “Bible Riots.”
The nativists rallied their American Republican Party and
staged a riot across the street from the market. When it began to rain, crowds
fled into the market for shelter. Shots were fired, and it is believed that
both sides were likely involved in the gunfire.
Fire brigades at this time were solely volunteer-based.
Within South and North Philadelphia, which were located outside of the
Philadelphia city proper, there were fire company clashes based on religion,
ethnicity, and politics. Nativists attacked the Irish fire brigade building,
burning it to the ground.
Aside from attacks on firehouses and the Nanny Goat market,
nativists looted and destroyed Irish homes. These properties were located
outside of the jurisdiction of Philadelphia officials, and these officials were
opposed to helping them otherwise.
St. Michael’s and St. Augustine’s, located at 4th and Race
streets, were both burned to the ground. After three days of riots and
destruction, the state militia stepped in to restore order to the neighborhood.
However, this was short-lived.
In July of 1844, nativists staged an anti-immigrant parade
in the Irish neighborhood around the Church of St. Philip Neri (2nd and Queen
streets). Three more days of violence erupted. The Church of. St. Philip Neri
was nearly destroyed, but the state militia intervened before it burned.
The Aftermath
Over the course of these riots, 20 people died, and 100
people were injured. 30 Irish
stores and homes were destroyed over the course of the riots, as was St.
Michael’s Catholic Church. Several people were displaced due to the destruction
of their homes.
As a result of these riots, Archdiocesan Bishop Francis
Patrick Kenrick gave up his efforts to influence the public school system,
instead shifting his focus to creating the framework for the Catholic school
system.
The riots and violence also highlighted the need for a
unified police force and a paid fire brigade. They also showcased the need for
the outer limits of the city to be incorporated into the city proper. In 1854, Northern
Liberties, Kensington, Southwark, and other districts were incorporated into
the boundaries of the city of Philadelphia.
St. Michael’s Church, a church founded by Irish immigrants,
was rebuilt to serve a continuously growing immigrant population. It now offers
a Spanish-language mass each Sunday, and its congregation is multiethnic,
including Irish American, German American, and Latino parishioners.