Review by Choice Review
Gordon argues that Irish Americans and propertied New Yorkers had different visions of republicanism, one based on upward mobility, the other on class stratification. On July 12, 1870, during a parade celebrating the Battle of the Boyne, spontaneous violence erupted when taunts by Orange marchers provoked Irish workers. The riot aroused fears of additional violence in 1871 and placed Tweed Ring politicians squarely between the Irish who opposed another parade and wealthy reformers who defended Orange rights. When the parade was held, soldiers ordered to protect Orange citizens panicked and fired into street crowds. Gordon believes the soldiers thereby became "surrogates for nativists, Republicans, and propertied interests who sought either to capitalize on Tammany's predicament, to crush the perceived designs of Irish Catholics, or to suppress working-class disorder in general." Gordon then suggests that the riot hastened reform efforts directed against the Tweed Ring and Irish political power. No bibliography, but extensive footnotes, appendixes, tables, and street maps. The available primary sources are heavily biased, but Gordon manages to provide a nicely balanced account. A useful follow-up to Iver Bernstein's The New York City Draft Riots (CH, May'90). Advanced undergraduates and above. J. P. Rodechko; Wilkes University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
