July 13, 1863
New York, New York
The New York draft riots begin
The draft riots were sparked by working class citizens outraged about unfair drafting procedures. At the time, a person could pay a fee of $300 (roughly $5,800 in 2018) to avoid being drafted into the military. Though the rioting began as a outburst against the draft, it quickly evolved into a race war with black citizens being targeted primarily by Irish immigrants. By the time the riots were quelled on July 16, approximately 120 were dead and 2,000 injured.
