The NYC Draft Riots
The New York Draft Riots was a four-day riot in 1863 that was the result of aggressive opposition against the National Conscription Act which allowed the Union to recruit men to fight in the Civil War. It led to escalating violence that involved Irish immigrants of the city destroying public and private property and the mass murders of African Americans. The VNY Draft Riots website and Bernstein’s The New York City Draft Riots both brought about arguments on the causes of the riots which was mainly increasing social and economical tensions between the Irish and African Americans, blatant discrimination against the poor on the Act, which fueled a civil insurrection. Bernstein focused on detailed explanations and analysis of many arguments on the causes but the website was more straightforward and discussed only the main points. The New York City Draft Riots also contained interesting images depicting and analyzing the atmosphere of the riots.
The website however, focused on a ‘timeline’ approach where it showed significant events across a four day span and the aftermath. There are a few small illustrations and the sources are very easy to locate. Nonetheless, the website needs to increase its visual appeal as it would have made the readings more interesting. It is rather bland and looks outdated in a sense. Overall, I prefer the website because it is brief and straight to the point.
