On this day, July 13, in 1863, demonstrators started a three-day riot in New York City over a Civil War draft that allowed wealthier men to hire a substitute or pay $300 to avoid enlistment.
Soon after the names of the draftees were announced, mobs began terrorizing military and government buildings. They soon turned their anger on blacks, who were exempt from the draft because they were not considered citizens.
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The mobs beat and lynched numerous victims. A black church and orphanage were burned to the ground.
Nearly 100 people were killed before President Lincoln deployed combat troops to restore order.
— Scott McCabe
