NedBaldwin
Major
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2011
- Location
- California
Since at least the 1830s, and possibly much earlier, Baltimore has been referred to as Mobtown, due to periodic riots and other violence that had been a feature of the city for decades.
There have been several famous riots -- 1812, 1835, 1861, 1877, 1968 -- but the lead up to the civil war was the most turbulent in the city's history. From 1855 - 1859 there were more than 8 major violent events. Anti-immigrant and anti-catholic attitudes (often these two were the same thing) fueled some of the riots. Elections in Baltimore during the last half of the 1850s were characterized by gang violence for political purposes (difficult to comprehend considering how elections occur these days), leaving dead and wounded in the street in order to control the outcome. Thomas Hicks, who was Governor at the start of the Civil War, may have won election in 1858 through the violent actions of street gangs in Baltimore.
In 1857 some of the Baltimore gang called the Plug Ugilies went to Washington DC to interfere in the city election. A riot resulted, the mayor called for aid from the US Marines. The resulting street battles left 6 dead and many wounded before the plug uglies fled back to Baltimore.
There have been several famous riots -- 1812, 1835, 1861, 1877, 1968 -- but the lead up to the civil war was the most turbulent in the city's history. From 1855 - 1859 there were more than 8 major violent events. Anti-immigrant and anti-catholic attitudes (often these two were the same thing) fueled some of the riots. Elections in Baltimore during the last half of the 1850s were characterized by gang violence for political purposes (difficult to comprehend considering how elections occur these days), leaving dead and wounded in the street in order to control the outcome. Thomas Hicks, who was Governor at the start of the Civil War, may have won election in 1858 through the violent actions of street gangs in Baltimore.
In 1857 some of the Baltimore gang called the Plug Ugilies went to Washington DC to interfere in the city election. A riot resulted, the mayor called for aid from the US Marines. The resulting street battles left 6 dead and many wounded before the plug uglies fled back to Baltimore.
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