Why Did The Irish Pass The Enrollment Act Of 1863

In the year 1863 the Union Army was losing against the Confederate Army. People living in the north did not believe in the war with the excitement they had started it with. Because of that, enrollment to serve in the army was in decline. To keep the army from shrinking, the Enrollment Act of 1863 was passed in March so that the union army would not run short on soldiers. Later in July the draft was a spark that caused many poor immigrant men, women, and children to start a several days riot in New York City. As the riot developed, it was clear that the focus was no longer on the government and the draft, but on the African-American community in New York City. The riot was a result of the fears and opinions of a changing America. The riot and the events afterwards made it clear that the attitude and demographic of America was changing.
The men commanding the Union Army realized that they desperately need more men to combat the Confederacy. Many law makers agreed and so the Union passed the Enrollment Act which had several specific

The riots where started by the Irish for two reasons. First, the Irish in the city where all poor and unable to pay their way out of the draft which made them upset which leads into the second reason. The Irish where also against the war because they saw it as both a secular protestant war and a war to end slavery. These are two things the Irish did not like. Once the Riots started it was the perfect situation for the Irish to release their anger against the two things they hated. Once the riots were over the Irish where still upset because the African-American regiment was created. Before this regiment, the Irish where the only minority group to have regiments in the Union Army comprised of only themselves. The Irish had a sense of pride being the only special group and felt that it was idiotic to give African-Americans not only a role but a venerated place in the