The History of Theater Riots

BRUCE MCCONACHIE: According to the newspaper accounts, and there are a number of them, the rioters begin to move into the square to oppose Macready's performance.

Some of them actually have tickets and get inside the opera house. They began their "tramp warning," as it was called. This was a typical, raucous kind of ovation caused by hand claps and other noise-makers. So that the workers within the theater are demanding Macready's entrance in this way. He comes out and he's immediately greeted with catcalls and things are thrown at him. Macready's chased off the stage.

Now, in addition to the workers inside the Astor Place Opera House, there are thousands more in the square on the outside of the opera house. Initially the police try to contain the riotous crowd, but they can't manage it. And soon the militia is called in and the militia fires over the heads of the crowd, but some of the people at the far distance of the square are actually hit by some of the bullets fired by the militia.

So it ends up that 22 people—perhaps as many as 24—actually die in the riot. And newspapers later on list the rioters who died. It's clear that these are mostly working men, many of them with Irish surnames, who were there to support their chums inside the opera house.

The next day there are bonfires built. People are protesting against what's called the murderous outrage of the militia's shooting. But things gradually die down, and order is restored.