Part 11-4. The Destruction During the Final Days of the 1834 Anti-Abolition Riot

Continued from my October 27, 2026 post:

After leaving the Bowery Theatre, amid the destruction in the final days of the 1834 Anti-Abolition Riot, the mob reached Arthur Tappan’s home, but he and his family had already fled. To keep the fun going, the mob tore his house down, board by board, then burned his furniture in the street. On July 10, 1834, the mobs targeted Tappan’s store, the homes of suspected abolitionists, and churches.

On the afternoon of July 11, the mayor pleaded with all good citizens to unite to stop the rioting. He ordered Major General Shadforth to call in the 27th Infantry Regiment of the National Guard. That night, around 300 Five Points gang members assembled before the Laight Street Church, the church of abolitionist Rev. Samuel Hanson Cox. Several New York City police officers who guarded the church had to run for their lives.

As the mob destroyed the Church, Mayor Lawrence ordered the infantry into action. Armed with clubs, bayonets, muskets, and pistols, the infantry drove the rioters back into Five Points. White mobs and street gangs heavily vandalized Black neighborhoods, burning dozens of houses and St. Philip’s Church to the ground. The mob rampaged through the city, torturing and raping Black people.

After the New York National Guard and thousands of armed constables intervened, the city stabilized. People quickly spread the word that anyone who did not place a burning candle in their Five Points house window would face arson. In minutes, candles appeared in almost every window, saving the neighborhood from destruction at the hands of the out-of-control mob.

On July 12, 1834, the American Anti-Slavery Society issued a public disclaimer. Meanwhile, military forces patrolled with live ammunition to suppress any further incitement. The next day, armed soldiers and police searched Five Points for known mob members. Authorities arrested 150 Five Points gang members, but Tammany Hall soon released them. Authorities tried and convicted only 20 gang members.