The Anti-Rent War was a tenants’ revolt in Upstate New York between 1839 and 1845.
The conflict stemmed from the patroon system, a vestige of Dutch colonial rule in which wealthy patroons (landlords) held vast manors and leased land to farmers in perpetuity.
When the “Good Patroon” Stephen Van Rensselaer III died in 1839, his estate demanded the immediate collection of approximately $400,000 in back rents he had not collected.
Farmers were trapped in “durable leases” that required them to pay rent in wheat or labor and pay an alienation fine (often 1/4 to 1/3 of the sale price) if they sold their lease.
The Anti-Rent War primarily involved counties in the Hudson Valley and Catskills, starting in Albany and Rensselaer counties. Tenants resisted most forcefully in there, and in Delaware, Schoharie, Columbia, Greene, and Ulster counties, but the conflict spread to at least 11 counties in total.
The rebellion, during which tenants disguised themselves as “Calico Indians” – wearing Indigenous-like costumes and masks – culminated in 1845 and ultimately broke the power of the landed patroons.
The Historical Society of the New York Courts and the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, Third Department, with support from the New York State Unified Court System Office for Justice Initiatives will host a film screening and conversation about the Anti-Rent War on May 5 from 5:30 to 8 pm at Berne-Knox-Westerlo High School Auditorium (1738 Helderberg Trail, in Berne, NY).
This event will feature a screening of Calico Rebellion (directed by Victoria Kupchinetsky) and a panel discussion featuring regular New York Almanack contributor Dr. Bruce W. Dearstyne, editor of Revolutionary New York: 250 Years of Social Change, and Dr. Nancy Newman, Professor at University at Albany and author of Songs and Sounds of the Anti-Rent Movement in Upstate New York.
The conversation will highlight the history and legacy of the Anti-Rent War, and how it is still relevant today.
Read more about the Anti-Rent War in New York State.
Illustration: Lithograph, “The Death of Osman N. Steele” (National Museum of American History).
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