Astor Place Riot (1849)
Thu May 10, 1849
Image: An illustration of the Astor Place Riot, from the Library of Congress [thoughtco.com]
On this day in 1849, a riot broke out at the now-demolished Astor Opera House in Manhattan, leaving dozens dead and more than 120 injured. Poor workers shouted "Burn the damn den of the aristocracy" as they attempted to burn the House down. At the time, it was the deadliest "civic disturbance" in Manhattan's history.
Although the underlying cause of the riot was class conflict, this was expressed in preference over two famous actors performing Shakespeare at the opera house - one, William Macready, was British, and the other, Edwin Forrest, was an American star.
With the British and American talents serving as proxies for aristocratic and working class sensibilities respectively, the riot began during a performance of Macready's.
Shouting "Burn the damn den of the aristocracy", the crowd (mostly American-born workers and Irish immigrants) threw stones at the building, battled with police, and attempted to set fire to the opera house.
- Date: 1849-05-10
- Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, allthatsinteresting.com, www.thoughtco.com.
- Tags: #Riots.
- Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org
Met Gala next year?