New York's Anti-rent War 1845-1846

Contemporary Review, June, 2002 by Eric Ford

Meanwhile, direct action continued, reaching its height in 1844-46 when bands of tenants went into action whenever it was rumoured that an agent, Sheriff or posse was on the way to evict a tenant or force a sale of animals to pay for rent arrears. Mounted on horseback, with rifle or shotgun, and disguised by sheepskins over their heads, with apertures for eyes and mouth, wearing long calico dresses and adorned with Indian headdresses and other paraphernalia, these 'Injuns' formed a formidable force.

They generally limited their actions to seizing and destroying writs and indulging in the traditional American ploy of tarring and feathering the unfortunate agents and Sheriffs. It was, therefore out of character when the death of Under-Sheriff Steele occurred on 7 August 1845. A man of undoubted personal courage, who was particularly hated by the antirenters, he was attempting to round up cattle on a tenant's farm to pay rent arrears. Some two hundred 'Injuns' suddenly appeared, shouting 'Shoot the horses', when, in the general fracas, two shots rang out. Steele fell and died later.

Although it was not clear whether Steele's death was premeditated, it aroused a veritable storm of protest among the population, including many who had previously supported the antirenters. The authorities took strong action, entering antirent strongholds with a powerful posse and arresting hundreds of men who were suspected of being involved in Steele's death. At the subsequent trial, two young men were actually condemned to be hanged (later commuted to life imprisonment) while around sixty others were given various terms of imprisonment.

This drastic action restored order and, although opposition to rent collection continued for some years, the full-scale 'War' never returned following the death of the Under-Sheriff. Instead, the antirent leaders turned increasingly to politics, taking advantage of the feuding between the Whigs and Democrats in the State legislature, shrewdly switching their support from one to the other to maximise their influence on policy.

It was a slow-moving process but, by the end of the decade, the balance of public opinion had swung in favour of the tenants. With the support of both main parties, the antirenters were able to secure the election of friendly Sheriffs and officials which frustrated the landlords' attempts to collect rents. Eventually, overwhelmed by the flood of litigation, as leaseholders issued writs against them, the landlords began negotiations to sell their leases on the best terms they could obtain and even the all-powerful Van Rensselaers settled with their tenants. Yet the original grants under which the patroons had obtained their power withstood all attempts to remove them while the rents, including back payments, remained until each leaseholder renegotiated the reversionary rights. Provided the tenant could obtain the financial means to achieve this, he had the satisfaction of knowing that the rents and other feudal obligations had gone for ever.