Read on Twitter
Good Morning Museum Patrons!
We are in the middle of the 181st anniversary of the Baltimore Nunnery Riot which almost saw the destruction of a Baltimore convent. How did Baltimore reach a point where it nearly attacked nuns? Follow along and find out.
We are in the middle of the 181st anniversary of the Baltimore Nunnery Riot which almost saw the destruction of a Baltimore convent. How did Baltimore reach a point where it nearly attacked nuns? Follow along and find out.
It began on August 18, 1839, when Sister Isabella, a woman in her early twenties, ran out of the Carmelite convent in Baltimore to the home of a deputy prison warden seeking sanctuary from her follow sisters. This action nearly lead to a destruction of a convent.
But why?
But why?
There has been only one Catholic president. There was only one signer of the Declaration of Independence was Catholic. Why? A founding sin of the United States, somewhat forgotten, is anti-Catholicism.
In colonial times, the English monarchy restricted Catholic rights and suppressed Catholics. The colonies were no different. Catholics were not allowed to worship openly, join the militia, and so forth. Maryland, founded as haven for Catholics, subjected them to double taxation.
This bigotry and discrimination eased after the Revolution. The 1830s saw a revival of anti-Catholicism. In 1834, a convent in Boston was destroyed by a local mob. Lurid tales of alleged abuse of nuns such as the Awful Disclosures of Maria Monk were published and widely read.
So when a woman ran through Baltimore, begging for protection from the "horrors" of a convent, a significant portion of Baltimore's Protestant population was primed to believe her. Baltimore, known as Mobtown, was also primed to riot. It had only been 4 years since the Bank Riot.
Mayor Sheppard Leakin arrived on scene quickly. He promised to protect the woman. He and two others investigated the convent and reported back that the women wanted to stay. The gathered crowd remained. City guards arrested approximately 20 people but calm largely prevailed.
While parlaying with the mob, Mayor Leakin actually consulted them regarding Sister Isabella's treatment. Leakin decided to have her examined because mental illness ran in her family. He asked the mob where to send her. They demanded she go to Washington College. She went there.
The next day, a false report that she was sane was circulated. An outraged mob began attacking the City Guards protecting the convent, nearly killing one. The Guards fixed bayonets and arrested approximately twenty people. This was sufficient to quell the gathered mob.
The third day the threat of mob violence had tapered off. Several arrest were made, but many of those arrested were released if they agreed to maintain the peace for the next six months.
On August 21, 1838, Sister Isabella's personal doctor ruled that she was mentally ill. Her doctor said she suffered from "monomania." A Washington College doctor described her as a "perfect maniac." The assembled mob was pacified by these reports. The riot was over.