The Roeliff Jansen Historical Society 

Even after the Revolutionary War, much of New York State’s Hudson Valley was owned by a few  wealthy landowners; ‘Lords’ of their manors. Among the most powerful were the Livingstons and the Van Rensselaers. 

 

In this feudal system of capitalism, the “Lords” rented parcels of land to tenant farmers, who continued to pay their rent in goods and services. In time, farmers began to wonder why they’d fought for self-government in the Revolution, only to remain under the yoke of European masters. The ensuing, and often violent struggle between tenant and landlord became known as the Anti-Rent War.

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On April 28th, Jill Knapp will discuss a couple of key players in the lengthy  conflict waged in Columbia and Rensselaer Counties; Big Thunder, aka Dr. Smith Boughton, and the “Fighting Finkle brothers.” 

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In the final analysis, was Anti-Rentism a battle for land reform - a crusade for a cause? Or was Anti-Rentism domestic terrorism, resulting from the failure of the legal system to resolve the issue of perpetual leases? 

 

You be the judge if their actions were justified.