How to Write an Essay on the New York Draft Riots
Middle school and high school students studying U.S. history or social studies might cover the New York draft riots. As an important time in the history of this country, the draft riots had a direct impact on the military's ability to draft able-bodied men to fight Confederate soldiers. Research should uncover the direct and indirect causes of the riots, the riots themselves and the aftermath. Students assigned an essay on the draft riots should not overlook economic and social conditions that also contributed to the outbreak of violence.
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Instructions
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Complete your research on the New York draft riots, using both offline and online research resources. As you research, focus on the cause of the riots ---- all able-bodied males between 20 and 45 were subject to conscription. A man who paid $300 or found a substitute was excused from conscription and service in the Civil War. Explore the direct causes of the riots and develop a thesis statement.
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Write your essay outline. Using additional historical information, write out one-sentence statements. These statements will become the paragraphs of your essay; they should follow one another in logical order. As you write your your outline, indent the subheadings, which become the supporting sentences for each paragraph. Supporting sentences include material about the Irish immigrants who were involved in the riots and the impact of the military conscription law on this group.
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Write out your essay, following the outline you wrote earlier. Fill out each paragraph, adding information about social and economic grievances expressed by Irish immigrants after Mayor Horatio Seymour and other New York Democratic leaders expressed their belief that the Conscription Act was unconstitutional. Rioting ensued, focusing on the Second Avenue armory.
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Refer to your outline. Continue writing your essay and add information that points out how blacks and abolitionists were singled out for attack, with an orphanage for black children burned down and several blacks killed. Write down, in subsequent paragraphs, how New York troops, the militia, police, cadets from West Point and naval forces put the riot down and restored order.
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Write about the follow-up to the riots, briefly discussing the investigation that followed and how the riots forced a change in the policy of who was allowed to buy his way out of service. Write the conclusion, wrapping up with casualties and property damage.
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Tips & Warnings
As you research, keep detailed notes about where you got your material. You need this for your bibliography, which your teacher uses and reads to make sure you cited your paper correctly.
Be careful to write using your own words. If you quote a source directly, cite that source properly and use quotation marks for every direct quotation.
References
- Photo Credit writing image by Alison Bowden from Fotolia.com
