The Belfast Riot of 1847

On March 1, 1847, Prince Edward Island experienced the second worst election riot in Canadian history. About 200 Scottish Protestants and 300 Irish Catholics spent the day beating each other with sticks, resulting in at least three men dead and up to 100 others injured. This event set the stage for the hardening of the sectarian conflict between Protestants and Catholics on the Island for the next 125 years.

The Belfast Riot of 1847 lays out the social and political conditions that led to the riot on the Island, introduces us to the major players on both sides, provides a detailed account of its unfolding, and takes a nuanced look at who was to blame.