Anti-Rent War
Encyclopedia
The Anti-Rent War was a tenants' revolt in upstate New York
during the early 19th century, beginning with the death of Stephen Van Rensselaer III
in 1839.
There is also the 1766 Anti-Rent war of Dutchess County which was provoked by similar land-title problems.
Van Rensselaer, who has been described as "[having] ... proved a lenient and benevolent landowner" was the patroon
of the region at the time, and was a descendant of Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, the first patroon of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck. The patroons owned all the land on which the tenants in the Hudson Valley
lived, and used feudal
leases to maintain control of the region.
Before the American Revolutionary War
, the patroons acted as feudal lords, with the right to make laws. The Anti-Rent War led to the creation of the Antirenter Party which had a strong influence on New York State politics from 1846 to 1851.
The first mass meeting of tenant farmers leading to the Anti-Rent War was held in Berne, New York
on July 4, 1839. In January, 1845 one hundred and fifty delegates from eleven counties assembled in St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Berne to call for political action to redress their grievances.
Trials of leaders of the revolt for riot, conspiracy and robbery were held in 1845. Participants as counsel in the trials included Ambrose L. Jordan
, as leading counsel for the defense and John Van Buren
, the state attorney general, who personally conducted the prosecution. At the first trial the jury came to no conclusion. During a re-trial in September 1845, the two leading counsels started a fist-fight in open court. Both were sentenced by the presiding judge, Justice John W. Edmonds, to "solitary confinement in the county jail for 24 hours." At the conclusion of the trial, one defendant, Smith A. Boughton, was sentenced to life imprisonment, but after the election of John Young
, who had the support of the Anti-Renters, Broughton was pardoned.
For further information on how the following years convinced landed proprietors to sell out their interests, see Anti-rent movement and downfall.
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
during the early 19th century, beginning with the death of Stephen Van Rensselaer III
Stephen Van Rensselaer III
Stephen Van Rensselaer III was Lieutenant Governor of New York as well as a statesman, soldier, and land-owner, the heir to one of the largest estates in the New York region at the time, which made him the tenth richest American of all time, based on the ratio of his fortune to contemporary GDP...
in 1839.
There is also the 1766 Anti-Rent war of Dutchess County which was provoked by similar land-title problems.
Van Rensselaer, who has been described as "[having] ... proved a lenient and benevolent landowner" was the patroon
Patroon
In the United States, a patroon was a landholder with manorial rights to large tracts of land in the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland in North America...
of the region at the time, and was a descendant of Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, the first patroon of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck. The patroons owned all the land on which the tenants in the Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
lived, and used feudal
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
leases to maintain control of the region.
Before the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, the patroons acted as feudal lords, with the right to make laws. The Anti-Rent War led to the creation of the Antirenter Party which had a strong influence on New York State politics from 1846 to 1851.
The first mass meeting of tenant farmers leading to the Anti-Rent War was held in Berne, New York
Berne, New York
Berne is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 2,794 at the 2010 census. The town is at the west border of Albany County.- History :...
on July 4, 1839. In January, 1845 one hundred and fifty delegates from eleven counties assembled in St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Berne to call for political action to redress their grievances.
Trials of leaders of the revolt for riot, conspiracy and robbery were held in 1845. Participants as counsel in the trials included Ambrose L. Jordan
Ambrose L. Jordan
Ambrose Latting Jordan was an American lawyer, newspaper editor and politician.-Early life:...
, as leading counsel for the defense and John Van Buren
John Van Buren
John Van Buren was an American lawyer and politician.-Life:He was the second son of President Martin Van Buren and graduated from Yale College in 1828. In 1831, when his father was appointed U.S. Minister to Britain, he accompanied him as secretary of the American Legation in London...
, the state attorney general, who personally conducted the prosecution. At the first trial the jury came to no conclusion. During a re-trial in September 1845, the two leading counsels started a fist-fight in open court. Both were sentenced by the presiding judge, Justice John W. Edmonds, to "solitary confinement in the county jail for 24 hours." At the conclusion of the trial, one defendant, Smith A. Boughton, was sentenced to life imprisonment, but after the election of John Young
John Young (Governor)
John Young was an American politician.He was born in Chelsea, Vermont. As a child, he moved to Freeport , Livingston County, New York. He had only basic schooling but, by self-study accumulated a knowledge of classics and became a law clerk, becoming admitted to the bar in 1829...
, who had the support of the Anti-Renters, Broughton was pardoned.
For further information on how the following years convinced landed proprietors to sell out their interests, see Anti-rent movement and downfall.
See also
- DragonwyckDragonwyck (novel)Dragonwyck is a novel, written by the American author Anya Seton which was first published in 1944.It is a fictional story of the life of Miranda Wells and her marriage to Nicholas Van Ryn, set against an historical background of the Patroon system, Anti-Rent Wars, the Astor Place Riots, and...
, a 1944 novel by Anya SetonAnya SetonAnya Seton was the pen name of Ann Seton, an American author of historical romances.-Biography:...
that takes place during the Anti-Rent War
Further reading
- "New York's Anti-rent War 1845-1846," Contemporary Review, June 2002 by Eric Ford
- Dorothy Kubik, A Free Soil - A Free People: The Anti-Rent War in Delaware County, New York (1997) ISBN 0-935796-86-X
- Charles W. McCurdy, The Anti-Rent Era in New York Law and Politics, 1839-1865 (2001) ISBN 0-8078-2590-5
- Candace Christiansen, Calico and Tin Horns (1992) ISBN 0-8037-1179-4
- Huston, Reeve. (2004) "Popular Movements and Party Rule: The New York Anti-Rent Wars and the Jacksonian Political Order," in Beyond the founders : new approaches to the political history of the early American republic / edited by Jeffrey L. Pasley, Andrew W. Robertson, and David Waldstreicher. Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press, pp. 355-386.