The Anti-Rent War
New York State has a long history of tenants fighting unjust landlords. One of the most dramatic examples goes back to 1839—1846, known today as the Anti-Rent War.
The farmers who ignited this war opposed the patroon system, which dated back to the 1660s when the area was under Dutch rule. It required them to not only pay rent, but provide additional services to landowners. For example, landowners could take as much or all of a renting farmer’s timber. Farmers also had to pay a fine, when selling their lease, to their proprietor. The patroon system was an exploitative remnant of feudalism that allowed one family to rule over 80,000 tenants and amass $41 million.
Many opposed the system, but it wasn’t until 1839 that people finally fought back. At its height, the movement was composed of 10,000 members, united in their opposition to these unscrupulous landlords and the political system that supported them. The state, predictably, tried to crush the farmers. This led to violent clashes and deaths. Yet even in 1845, after years of bloodshed and martial law, the state legislature defeated an anti-rent bill signed by 25,000 tenants. Fortunately, the anti-rent movement soon elected fourteen members to the legislature, who helped to finally abolish the patroon system in 1846 through the new state constitution. It was a long, brutal fight but, in the end, the once-scorned farmers won by putting intense pressure on the government through direct action which, in turn, led to electoral victories.
Despite this victory, the struggle against savage laws that favor landlords over tenants continues to the present. Yet as we fight to defend our community from people no less vile than those the farmers fought in the 1800s, it is worth remembering the message farmers cried out at meetings, in pamphlets, and in their deeds:
“ATTENTION ! ANTI-RENTERS! AWAKE! AROUSE! Strike till the last armed foe expires, Strike for your altars and your fires — Strike for the green graves of your sires, God and your happy homes!”
Note: This account is a synthesis of entries on the Anti-Rent War found at Britannica.com, libcom.com, and Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States.