Preparation is key. This phrase is important, because it is necessary to always be prepared for anything; the Confederate States of America were not. When surge of secessions began, the South thought they would be much better off, but as it turns out, they were not. Alan Pell Crawford explained in his article “Richmond’s Bread Riot” just how bad the conditions in the South were during the Civil War.
The Richmond Bread Riot took place on April 2, 1863. In the riot, the people of Richmond crowded the streets of the Virginia town and demanded food. In the years prior, the food supply had been decreasing greatly. The city’s population tripled within just a few years during the Civil War. Therefore, the resources they still had were being used to feed the military, and with the rapid population growth, there was hardly anything left for the people. The population grew even more when wounded soldiers were put into the city. The food supply grew even smaller, and the people of Richmond were starving. Crawford quotes John. B Jones in his article where Jones states, “I lost twenty pounds and my wife and children are emaciated to some extent” (Crawford 139). There were many factors …show more content…
The riot was believed to be planned by Mary Jackson, who was a woman that was fed up with the shortage of food. She reportedly told people not to come to town that day and whoever got in her way would be shot. These were just rumors, but the riot did take place. The people gathered in the streets of Richmond and marched through violently, breaking windows, stealing food and other items, and wreaking havoc on the city. They had to stop the riot, and the Confederate President Jefferson Davis did just that. He confronted the protesters and threatened that if they didn’t disperse within five minutes, they would be shot. The time ticked by, and eventually, the rioters separated and the incident ended without
The Richmond Bread Riot took place on April 2, 1863. In the riot, the people of Richmond crowded the streets of the Virginia town and demanded food. In the years prior, the food supply had been decreasing greatly. The city’s population tripled within just a few years during the Civil War. Therefore, the resources they still had were being used to feed the military, and with the rapid population growth, there was hardly anything left for the people. The population grew even more when wounded soldiers were put into the city. The food supply grew even smaller, and the people of Richmond were starving. Crawford quotes John. B Jones in his article where Jones states, “I lost twenty pounds and my wife and children are emaciated to some extent” (Crawford 139). There were many factors …show more content…
The riot was believed to be planned by Mary Jackson, who was a woman that was fed up with the shortage of food. She reportedly told people not to come to town that day and whoever got in her way would be shot. These were just rumors, but the riot did take place. The people gathered in the streets of Richmond and marched through violently, breaking windows, stealing food and other items, and wreaking havoc on the city. They had to stop the riot, and the Confederate President Jefferson Davis did just that. He confronted the protesters and threatened that if they didn’t disperse within five minutes, they would be shot. The time ticked by, and eventually, the rioters separated and the incident ended without