Cincinnati riot of 1853
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Foto_Cardinal_Bedini1853.jpg)
The Cincinnati riot of 1853 was triggered by the visit of then-Archbishop (later, Cardinal)
Background
Bedini was sent to America to deal with a number of disputes over church property. The central argument was over whether ownership of a church and its land should remain with the board of trustees elected by the congregation or transferred to the Bishop as representative of the Diocese. The issue was controversial since many
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/John_Baptist_Purcell.jpg/220px-John_Baptist_Purcell.jpg)
At the time of Bedini's visit, anti-Catholic feelings were strong in Cincinnati.
Archbishop
On the day of Bedini's arrival, the Hochwächter published an article that began: "Reader, dost thou know who Bedini is? Lo! there is blood on his hands – human blood! Lo! the skin will not leave his hands which at his command was flayed from Ugo Bassi! Lo! a murderer, a butcher of men." The article went on to essentially demand Bedini's assassination, appealing specifically to the Freimänner (Society of Freemen), about 1,200 men with a meeting house in the Over-the-Rhine section of the city.[1]
The march
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/StPeterInChains.jpg/220px-StPeterInChains.jpg)
On Christmas Day, Bedini preached in French and German at the
The Mayor was informed what was afoot and ordered the Chief of Police, Captain Thomas Lukens, to investigate. Certain that there would be no trouble on Christmas Day, the mayor then went home to his family. Soon after, Captain Lukens heard that the march had started. He ordered 100 policemen to a post opposite the Bishop's Chancery beside the cathedral.[1]
The march began soon after 10 p.m., with over 500 men led by a drum section, and followed by 100 women. Several of the men carried a wooden
When the police advanced to meet the demonstrators, one of the marchers fired a shot. The police charged and a general brawl ensued in which two policemen and fifteen German demonstrators were wounded, one fatally. Over 60 demonstrators were arrested.[1]
Aftermath
The legal proceedings that followed were strongly biased in favor of the anti-Catholic
In his report to the Holy See, the Nuncio described the aftermath, "In Cincinnati, the demagogic rage of Europe surfaced with a vengeance. The German Revolutionary sentiment, which I have described elsewhere, launched their attack against this 'tyrant of Italian patriots' and the effect was truly tremendous. ... The fact is that the language of the American bishops began to change. Before Cincinnati they urged me not to be afraid, to go forward and not go back: afterwards, I began to hear repeated suggestions that it would be better if I returned to Europe."[9]
Feelings ran so high in the later part of Bedini's visit that in New York City he had to be smuggled into the ship for his return voyage.[10]
Although Cincinnati's Nativists had supported the German demonstrators, the incident continued to feed controversy over foreign immigration to America. Ultimately, the riot directly contributed to the rise of the anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic
Two years later, in the Cincinnati riots of 1855, a mob of Know-Nothing supporters carried out a pogrom of the German immigrants in Over-the-Rhine.[12]
See also
- List of incidents of civil unrest in Cincinnati
- List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States
References
- ^ ISBN 88-7652-082-1. Retrieved 2010-10-25.
- ISBN 978-1-59276-229-3. Retrieved 2010-10-25.
- ISBN 0-19-508922-7. Retrieved 2010-10-25.
- ISBN 0-87338-340-0.
- ISBN 0-8142-0899-1.
- ISBN 0-8142-0904-1.
- ^ Massimo Franco, Parallel Empires: The Vatican and the United States - Two Centuries of Alliance and Conflict, Doubleday, 2008. Page 13.
- ^ Greve, Charles Theodore (1904). Centennial History of Cincinnati and Representative Citizens. Biographical Publishing Company. pp. 769.
- ^ Franco (2008), page 14.
- ISBN 0-19-505501-2. Retrieved 2010-10-25.
- ISBN 0-87338-814-3. Retrieved 2010-10-25.
- ^ John Kiesewetter (July 15, 2001). "Civil unrest woven into city's history". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 2010-10-25.