October 4 is the anniversary of The Fort Wilson Riot in 1779. What actually happened on this day is confused and muddled through the lenses of history and propaganda. But I really wanted to talk about it today, as it was an important event in the history of class war in the USA.

What is clear is that there was a very large class divide in Philadelphia, a mere 3 years after the revolution. The political situation was divided. There were some who thought that any white man over the age of 21 who paid taxes should be able to vote. There were those who felt that only white male property owners should be able to vote. Inflation was growing out of control. James Wilson was an oligarch who had very recently managed to successfully defend the right of Philadelphia loyalists to own private property.

This was a tinderbox. It should come as no surprise that hungry people faced with political disenfranchisement would want to take it out on the ones deemed responsible. And with patriotic fervour running high, Wilson’s successful defence of the loyalists was the catalyst for the riot.

So, the poor and the downtrodden rose up against their capitalist masters. They marched on Wilson’s house, and a pretty good skirmish resulted. Reports indicate that even a cannon was used on the house. But in the end the cavalry showed up and dispersed the crowd, arresting those they could. The wealthy fled the city.

In sharp contrast to people of colour, the protestors on this day were issued pardons. However, they were framed as the villains in this scenario, and ultimately the events cost them their political power. It was seen as a “casual overflowing of liberty”, thus providing justification for centralising political power once again amongst the oligarchs.