The incident began with the death of
Stephen Van Rensselaer III in 1839. Van Rensselaer, who was described as a "lenient and benevolent landowner" was the
patroon of the region at the time. As a way to develop his vast landholdings, Van Rensselaer granted tenants lifetime leases at moderate prices. During his life, when tenants were in financial constraints, he preferred to accept rent in the form of goods and services in lieu of cash, allow rents to accumulate, or accept
partial payment rather than evict them. However, his leases also included a "quarter-sale" provision, which required tenants who sold their leases to pay Van Rensselaer one fourth of the sale price or one additional year's rent. The patroons owned much the land on which the tenants in the
Hudson Valley lived, and used this
feudal lease system to maintain control of the region. When he died, his wealth had been reduced in the economic downturn known as the
Panic of 1837, so Van Rensselaer's will directed his heirs to collect outstanding rents and quarter-sale payments to apply to his estate's debts. When the heirs attempted to collect, tenants who believed their debts would be forgiven at Van Renselaer's death could not pay the amounts demanded, could not secure a favorable payment schedule from the heirs, and could not obtain relief in the courts, so they revolted. The first mass meeting of tenant farmers leading to the Anti-Rent War was held at the top of the
Helderberg mountains in
Berne, New York, on July 4, 1839. They issued a declaration of independence, promising: "We will take up the ball of the Revolution where our fathers stopped it and roll it to the final consummation of freedom and independence of the masses." Among their tactics was the rent strike, with tenants refusing to pay on their leases unless Van Rensselaer's heirs and the other patroons agreed to a negotiated settlement. In December 1839, the Anti-Renters repulsed a 500-man posse led by Albany County sheriff Michael Artcher and including
William Marcy and
John Van Buren. Governor
William Seward threatened the rebels with 700 militiamen and obtained their surrender. However, an insurrection continued to smoulder. By May 1844, renters had formed a secret order modelled on the
Chartists whose members wore "
Calico Indian" disguises, a reference to the
Boston Tea Party. They resisted eviction, tax and rent collection, and law enforcement, sometimes
tarring and feathering their enemies. The conflict gained the support of somewhere between 25,000 and 60,000 of the approximately 300,000 tenants in the patroon system. In January 1845, one hundred and fifty delegates from eleven counties assembled at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Berne to call for political action to redress their grievances. ==Results==