August 6: Bloody Monday

Welcome to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Today is August 6th, and our story is Bloody Monday. In 1855, Louisville, Kentucky was know-nothing territory. The anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant party controlled the mayor's office, city hall, and both major newspapers. It also controlled the school board, a fact that became apparent in July of that year when the school board fired every Catholic teacher in the city, save one.

Louisville's know-nothings liked controlling their city and had no intention of letting the growing population of Irish and German Catholics, who mostly voted Democrat, take that control away from them. Accordingly, when the city's polls opened for Election Day on August 6, 1855, more than 1,500 know-nothings stood outside polling place doors.

The city's police stood alongside them. Heavily armed, the know-nothings refused entry to any voters not identifying with their party. In most places, the Catholics who came to vote left peacefully, recognizing defeat when they saw it. But by 6 p.m., tensions in two of the Irish and German wards had escalated.

Shots were fired, no one knows by whom, and then the real rioting began. Angry know-nothings, itching for a fight, stormed through the city streets, attacking any Catholic they could find. They smashed windows and looted businesses. They broke into homes, dragging sleeping Catholics from their beds and beating them in the streets. They burned other homes to the ground, with whole families still inside.

Angry mobs likewise surrounded the cathedral, but Bishop Martin Spalding had wisely entrusted the cathedral's keys to the Catholic Church. The city's mayor, who stopped the mobs from setting it alight. By the time the rioting ended, several days later, over 100 business and homes were gone, and as many as 100 people were dead, with many more injured. Immediately, Catholics began packing up their belongings and moving to friendlier climes. The city they left behind soon became a shell of its former self and struggled economically for years.

Nevertheless, not one individual was ever charged or prosecuted for the events of what history calls Bloody Monday. Bloody Monday shows the dangers of prejudice, mob mentality, and political extremism. We are reminded to confront intolerance in all forms, stand with the marginalized, and work for peace and justice. Take a moment to confront an area of bias in your life or community. Reach out, listen, and act for justice in a small, meaningful way today.

Thank you for listening to the American Catholic Daily Reader Podcast. Join us tomorrow, August 7th, for another story of faith and courage in America.