Philadelphia Nativist Riots - May Riot

May Riot

On May 3, 1844, the American Republican Party, a Protestant nativist group, held a meeting in a predominantly Irish part of the Kensington District, then a suburb of Philadelphia. A group of Irish residents attacked the platform where the speakers were standing, and the nativists retreated. On May 6, the nativists returned in much greater numbers. During the rally, it began to rain, and the meeting was moved into a nearby market. The inflammatory remarks continued inside the market, where fighting broke out between the local Irish Catholics and the nativists. The fighting spilled outside the market, where the nativists were shot at by people in the windows of nearby buildings; one or two of the nativists were killed. The mob of nativists attacked the Seminary of the Sisters of Charity and several Catholic homes before the riot was over. Numerous people were injured, and two more nativists were killed.

The district constable was powerless to stop the violence. In the 1840s, most suburban districts of Philadelphia were policed by elected constables and part-time watchmen. When violence erupted in a district, the time-consuming process involved the constable summoning the county sheriff, who would organize a posse. During the May 6 violence, the posse arrived armed only with clubs and was powerless to do anything.

On May 7, the nativist groups denounced the Catholics and called on Americans to defend themselves from "the bloody hand of the Pope." A mob marched to Kensington, where gunfire broke out between the nativists and Catholic residents. During the riot, the nativist mob set fire to and destroyed the Hibernia fire station, thirty homes and the market where the violence started the day before. The violence did not end until the local militia, commanded by General George Cadwalader, arrived and dispersed the crowd. Bishop Francis Kenrick quickly issued a statement that instructed all Catholics to avoid violence and confrontations.

After a brief lull, the violence continued on May 8. The nativists came back to Kensington and burned down St. Michael's Catholic Church and rectory at Second and Jefferson Streets, the Seminary of the Sisters of Charity, which had been attacked a few days before, and several homes before soldiers arrived and the fire was contained. While the riot was being contained in Kensington, another nativist mob had gathered within the borders of Philadelphia itself. They gathered at St. Augustine's Catholic Church, located on Fourth Street between Vine and New Streets. The city troop was stationed by the church, and Mayor John Morin Scott pleaded for calm. The rioters threw stones at the mayor, ignored the troops and burned down the church, cheering when the steeple fell. A nearby school with a collection of rare books was also set aflame. The rioters did not attack an unfinished German Catholic church under construction. During the riots, at least fourteen were killed, an estimated fifty people were injured, two hundred fled their homes, and damage totaled $150,000. This is equivalent to $3.74 million in present-day terms.

In the days afterward, Mayor Scott set up a force to protect Catholic churches, and Bishop Kenrick ordered all churches to be closed the following Sunday to avoid any provocation and possible violence. Valuables were removed from the churches and hidden in homes for safekeeping. Bishop Kenrick asked Catholics to offer no resistance and urged them to wait for the law to deal with the rioters. However, in its June 18 report, a grand jury blamed an imperfect response by law enforcement and the Irish Catholics for the riots, stating that the outbreak of violence was due to "the efforts of a portion of the community to exclude the Bible from the public schools" and the disruption of legitimate meetings by immigrants. Nativists said they were only responding to being attacked and were justified in their actions but were not responsible for the riots after May 6. The American Republican Party issued a statement blaming Mayor Scott, the sheriff, and the civil authorities for the riots.