Editing Nativist Riots of 1844 (section)

== July Riots in Southwark ==

After a lull of several weeks, violence erupted again in July when nativists discovered that weapons had been stored in the Church of St. Philip de Neri in the Southwark district. Governor David Porter ordered state militia to protect the church, stationing cannons and soldiers around the building. Mobs gathered to protest the military presence, clashing with soldiers and attempting to storm the church. On July 7, after a crowd captured a cannon from the militia, soldiers opened fire, killing several rioters. The violence continued for two more days before overwhelming military force finally dispersed the mobs. The July riots were more deadly than those in May, with most of the casualties coming from military gunfire rather than inter-communal violence.<ref name="feldberg"/>

The decision to defend St. Philip de Neri with armed force represented a turning point in the response to the riots. Earlier, authorities had been reluctant to confront nativist mobs, allowing the destruction of churches and homes with minimal intervention. The military defense of St. Philip's, ordered by Governor Porter over the objections of local nativists, demonstrated that the state would not permit unlimited violence against Catholic property. The cost was high—soldiers who had fired on American citizens faced bitter resentment—but the principle was established that religious minorities were entitled to protection from mob violence, even when local authorities were unwilling or unable to provide it.<ref name="weigley"/>