The Philadelphia Nativist Riots: Irish Kensington Erupts

by Kenneth W. Milano

Discover a remarkably intimate and compelling view of the riots with stories of individuals on both sides of the conflict that rocked Kensington.
The outskirts of Philadelphia seethed with tension in the spring of 1844. By May 6, the situation between the newly arrived Irish Catholics and members of the anti-immigrant Nativist Party took an explosively violent turn. When the Irish asked to have their children excused from reading the Protestant version of the Bible in local public schools, the nativists held a protest. The Irish pushed back. For three days, riots scorched the streets of Kensington. Though the immigrants first had the upper hand, the nativists soon put the community to the torch. Those who fled were shot. Two Catholic churches burned to the ground, along with several blocks of houses, stores, a nunnery and a Catholic school. Local historian Kenneth W. Milano traces this tumultuous history from the preceding hostilities through the bloody skirmishes and finally to the aftermath of arrests and trials.

Genres: Irish Literature

160 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2013

Reviews

[Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was an interesting read no matter how much foreknowledge you possessed about Philadelphia in the 1840's. The religious animosity between the Protestant Nativists and the Irish Catholic immigrants is a subject that is very relevant today as our southern border crises
brings these same issues to the forefront. The ease and rapidity that this riot developed was frightening and the cost in human lives and property damage was appalling. Two of the city's Roman Catholic churches were burnt as were private residencies, local businesses and factories.
One of the interesting parts of the book were the legal repercussions of the riot. So many
provocateurs escaped real penalties and some of the penalties of those accused of murder
were particularly light considering the time frame that this occurred in. One criticism I had, and it is more an editor criticism than of the author, is that there was not a more general map of Philadelphia in 1844. The book had plenty of detailed maps of the riot area, but when the author mentioned other sections of Philadelphia, I did not always know where they were in relationship to the riot area. Overall though it was an enjoyable and enlightening read and I would recommend it for anyone interested in social/political issues in Philadelphia during the 1840s.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have benefited from some copy editing.

[Conor Doyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pertinent history with a lot of modern parallels.