By April 1863, class tension, the March 26 passage of a law allowing Confederate forces to seize supplies, and inflation of the Confederate dollars drove 400-500 white women to protest. Officials wanted to downplay the event — always the case — by calling these women “dregs of society.”
A few days later, the City passed an ordinance, Relief for Poor People not in the Poor House. It gave some relief for the worthy poor, i.e., those who hadn’t protested. Read more>>>
The Richmond Bread Riot: Women Protest Inflation & are heard