Cincinnati riots of 1855
Encyclopedia
The Cincinnati riots of 1855 were clashes between "nativists" and German-Americans. The nativists supported J.D. Taylor, the mayoral candidate for the anti-immigrant American Party, also known as the Know-Nothing Party.
During the riots, German-Americans erected barricades in the streets leading into their Over-the-Rhine
neighborhood, and fired a cannon over the heads of a mob of nativists attacking them.
Taylor's imflammatory attacks on immigrants caused rising tension in the city, with fighting breaking out on election day.
The day after, a mob of nativists attacked the German Over-the-Rhine
neighborhood, causing a riot in which several men died.
The mob managed to destroy the ballots in two German wards.
The Germans organized into militia units, built a barricade across Vine Street, and successfully defended their territory.
candidate had been elected mayor.
The anti-nativist press made the most of the riots.
The Democracy called them "one of the most dastardly and villainous acts ever perpetrated in any community".
The Enquirer said it could "find no language capable of expressing our indignation ... Words could but faintly translate the abhorence we feel that the ark of our safety, the very covenant of our freedom, should be ruthlessly seized by sacrilegious hands, and destroyed before our very eyes".
The Columbus
Statesman described the nativists as "the reckless, midnight, oath-bound order" and asked "Has the Protestant religion come to so low a condition that it requires such means to give it character and support?"
The Republican
s, who had seen the Catholic issue as a way of gaining the votes of Protestant immigrants, were dismayed. Editor Joseph Medill
called the Know Nothing leaders "knaves and asses".
The election violence and failure of the nativists to form an alliance with anti-slavery activists discredited the party in the eyes of many citizens and led to the demise of the movement.
During the riots, German-Americans erected barricades in the streets leading into their Over-the-Rhine
Over-the-Rhine
Over-the-Rhine, sometimes shortened to OTR, is a neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is believed to be the largest, most intact urban historic district in the United States. Over-the-Rhine was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 with 943 contributing buildings...
neighborhood, and fired a cannon over the heads of a mob of nativists attacking them.
Riots
In the April 1855 elections the Know Nothings nominated a slate of candidates with James Taylor, the populist anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic editor of the Cincinnati Times, as candidate for mayor.Taylor's imflammatory attacks on immigrants caused rising tension in the city, with fighting breaking out on election day.
The day after, a mob of nativists attacked the German Over-the-Rhine
Over-the-Rhine
Over-the-Rhine, sometimes shortened to OTR, is a neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is believed to be the largest, most intact urban historic district in the United States. Over-the-Rhine was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 with 943 contributing buildings...
neighborhood, causing a riot in which several men died.
The mob managed to destroy the ballots in two German wards.
The Germans organized into militia units, built a barricade across Vine Street, and successfully defended their territory.
Reactions
After an uneasy peace had been restored, electoral officials declared that the DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
candidate had been elected mayor.
The anti-nativist press made the most of the riots.
The Democracy called them "one of the most dastardly and villainous acts ever perpetrated in any community".
The Enquirer said it could "find no language capable of expressing our indignation ... Words could but faintly translate the abhorence we feel that the ark of our safety, the very covenant of our freedom, should be ruthlessly seized by sacrilegious hands, and destroyed before our very eyes".
The Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
Statesman described the nativists as "the reckless, midnight, oath-bound order" and asked "Has the Protestant religion come to so low a condition that it requires such means to give it character and support?"
The Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
s, who had seen the Catholic issue as a way of gaining the votes of Protestant immigrants, were dismayed. Editor Joseph Medill
Joseph Medill
Joseph Medill was an American newspaper editor and publisher, and politician. He was co-owner and managing editor of the Chicago Tribune, and was Mayor of Chicago.-Biography:...
called the Know Nothing leaders "knaves and asses".
The election violence and failure of the nativists to form an alliance with anti-slavery activists discredited the party in the eyes of many citizens and led to the demise of the movement.