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Death of George Shifler in Kensington, Philadelphia County, PA, 1844.
flipFlip to “The Propagation Society–More Free Than Welcome,” political cartoon, circa 1853.
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Three men supporting kneeling man holding flag. Death of George Shifler, in Kensington. Born Jan. 24, 1825, Murdered May 6, 1844. J.L. Magee, lith., Published by Wm. Smith, 706 So. Third St., Phila. Shifler, an 18-year-old apprentice leather worker, was the first to fall in the Kensington Bible Riots of 1844 and instantly became a nativist martyr.

Credit: Historical Society of Pennsylvania

The first man to lose his life during Kensington's 1844 Bible riots, 18-year-old apprentice leather worker George Shifler instantly became a martyr for the nativist campaign in Philadelphia against Irish Catholics and the broader campaign against Irish immigration.

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