List of invocations of the Insurrection Act
Updated: 5/20/2026, 7:11:26 PM Wikipedia source
This is a list of invocations of the Insurrection Act of 1807. The act has been invoked by fifteen Presidents and illegally by one Army general, in response to 30 incidents. Its latest invocation was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
Tables
· List
April 19, 1808
April 19, 1808
Date invoked
April 19, 1808
Invoker
Thomas Jefferson
Cause
Violations of the Embargo Act of 1807 around Lake Champlain.
Results
Violations continued, act repealed in 1809.
February 10, 1831
February 10, 1831
Date invoked
February 10, 1831
Invoker
Andrew Jackson
Cause
Dispute around Arkansas-Mexico border.
Results
Resolved before troops sent.
August 24, 1831
August 24, 1831
Date invoked
August 24, 1831
Invoker
Nat Turner's Rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia.
Cause
Rebellion suppressed.
January 28, 1834
January 28, 1834
Date invoked
January 28, 1834
Invoker
Riot over labor dispute in Maryland.
Cause
Resolved before troops sent.
April 15, 1861
April 15, 1861
Date invoked
April 15, 1861
Invoker
Abraham Lincoln
Cause
Secession of southern states, American Civil War.
Results
Civil war ends after four years. Beginning of Reconstruction era.
October 17, 1871
October 17, 1871
Date invoked
October 17, 1871
Invoker
Ulysses S. Grant
Cause
Insurgency across former Confederacy.
Results
Insurgency suppressed.
May 22, 1873
May 22, 1873
Date invoked
May 22, 1873
Invoker
Violence in Louisiana after contested election.
Cause
Resolved before troops sent.
May 15, 1874
May 15, 1874
Date invoked
May 15, 1874
Invoker
Brooks–Baxter War in Arkansas.
Cause
Resolved before troops sent.
September 15, 1874
September 15, 1874
Date invoked
September 15, 1874
Invoker
Battle of Liberty Place in Louisiana.
Cause
New Orleans and state government liberated, insurgency continued in other areas until 1877.
December 21, 1874
December 21, 1874
Date invoked
December 21, 1874
Invoker
Insurrection and massacre in Vicksburg.
Cause
Insurrection suppressed.
October 17, 1876
October 17, 1876
Date invoked
October 17, 1876
Invoker
Paramilitaries in South Carolina.
Cause
Paramilitaries dispersed, troops stay until 1877.
July 18, 1877
July 18, 1877
Date invoked
July 18, 1877
Invoker
Rutherford B. Hayes
Cause
Railroad strike in multiple states.
Results
Strike suppressed. Eventual reform.
October 7, 1878
October 7, 1878
Date invoked
October 7, 1878
Invoker
War between rival business/gang factions in Lincoln County, New Mexico.
Cause
Most fighting stops.
May 3, 1882
May 3, 1882
Date invoked
May 3, 1882
Invoker
Chester A. Arthur
Cause
Gang violence in the Arizona Territory.
Results
Gangs suppressed.
November 7, 1885
November 7, 1885
Date invoked
November 7, 1885
Invoker
Grover Cleveland
Cause
Tacoma riot of 1885 against Chinese citizens in the Washington Territory.
Results
Riot suppressed.
February 9, 1886
February 9, 1886
Date invoked
February 9, 1886
Invoker
Seattle riot of 1886 against Chinese citizens in the Washington Territory.
Cause
Riot suppressed.
July 8, 1894
July 8, 1894
Date invoked
July 8, 1894
Invoker
Pullman Strike in multiple states.
Cause
Strike suppressed. Eventual reform.
April 28, 1914
April 28, 1914
Date invoked
April 28, 1914
Invoker
Woodrow Wilson
Cause
Strike and uprising in Colorado.
Results
Strike and uprising suppressed. Eventual reform.
August 30, 1921
August 30, 1921
Date invoked
August 30, 1921
Invoker
Warren G. Harding
Cause
Strike and uprising in West Virginia.
Results
Strike and uprising suppressed. Eventual reform.
July 28, 1932
July 28, 1932
Date invoked
July 28, 1932
Invoker
Douglas MacArthur
Cause
Army general illegally invokes act against WWI veterans marching for military bonuses in Washington, D .
Results
Protest suppressed.
June 21, 1943
June 21, 1943
Date invoked
June 21, 1943
Invoker
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Cause
Race riot in Detroit.
Results
Riot suppressed.
September 23, 1957
September 23, 1957
Date invoked
September 23, 1957
Invoker
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Cause
Arkansas National Guard forbids black students from a school in Little Rock.
Results
Arkansas National Guard federalized and ordered to stand down. Federal troops escort black students to school.
September 30, 1962
September 30, 1962
Date invoked
September 30, 1962
Invoker
John F. Kennedy
Cause
Siege and riot of University of Mississippi due to racial integration.
Results
Riot suppressed.
June 11, 1963
June 11, 1963
Date invoked
June 11, 1963
Invoker
Governor of Alabama forbids black students from a school in Tuscaloosa.
Cause
Alabama National Guard federalized and ordered to stand down. Federal troops escort black students to school.
September 10, 1963
September 10, 1963
Date invoked
September 10, 1963
Invoker
Alabama National Guard forbids black students from all-white schools.
Cause
Alabama National Guard federalized and ordered to stand down.
March 20, 1965
March 20, 1965
Date invoked
March 20, 1965
Invoker
Lyndon B. Johnson
Cause
Alabamian policemen suppress first Selma to Montgomery marches.
Results
Federalization of Alabama National Guard before the third march.
July 24, 1967
July 24, 1967
Date invoked
July 24, 1967
Invoker
Protests and riots in Detroit.
Cause
Riots suppressed.
April 5, 1968
April 5, 1968
Date invoked
April 5, 1968
Invoker
Riots and civil unrest in multiple states after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr..
Cause
Riots suppressed.
November 24, 1987
November 24, 1987
Date invoked
November 24, 1987
Invoker
Ronald Reagan
Cause
Prison riot in Atlanta over announced deportations of Cuban detainees.
Results
Riot suppressed.
September 20, 1989
September 20, 1989
Date invoked
September 20, 1989
Invoker
George H. W. Bush
Cause
Looting in the United States Virgin Islands after Hurricane Hugo.
Results
Order restored.
May 1, 1992
May 1, 1992
Date invoked
May 1, 1992
Invoker
Riots in Los Angeles after the acquittal of policemen who beat Rodney King.
Cause
Riot suppressed.
| Date invoked | Invoker | Cause | Results |
| April 19, 1808 | Thomas Jefferson | Violations of the Embargo Act of 1807 around Lake Champlain. | Violations continued, act repealed in 1809. |
| February 10, 1831 | Andrew Jackson | Dispute around Arkansas-Mexico border. | Resolved before troops sent. |
| August 24, 1831 | Nat Turner's Rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia. | Rebellion suppressed. | |
| January 28, 1834 | Riot over labor dispute in Maryland. | Resolved before troops sent. | |
| April 15, 1861 | Abraham Lincoln | Secession of southern states, American Civil War. | Civil war ends after four years. Beginning of Reconstruction era. |
| October 17, 1871 | Ulysses S. Grant | Insurgency across former Confederacy. | Insurgency suppressed. |
| May 22, 1873 | Violence in Louisiana after contested election. | Resolved before troops sent. | |
| May 15, 1874 | Brooks–Baxter War in Arkansas. | Resolved before troops sent. | |
| September 15, 1874 | Battle of Liberty Place in Louisiana. | New Orleans and state government liberated, insurgency continued in other areas until 1877. | |
| December 21, 1874 | Insurrection and massacre in Vicksburg. | Insurrection suppressed. | |
| October 17, 1876 | Paramilitaries in South Carolina. | Paramilitaries dispersed, troops stay until 1877. | |
| July 18, 1877 | Rutherford B. Hayes | Railroad strike in multiple states. | Strike suppressed. Eventual reform. |
| October 7, 1878 | War between rival business/gang factions in Lincoln County, New Mexico. | Most fighting stops. | |
| May 3, 1882 | Chester A. Arthur | Gang violence in the Arizona Territory. | Gangs suppressed. |
| November 7, 1885 | Grover Cleveland | Tacoma riot of 1885 against Chinese citizens in the Washington Territory. | Riot suppressed. |
| February 9, 1886 | Seattle riot of 1886 against Chinese citizens in the Washington Territory. | Riot suppressed. | |
| July 8, 1894 | Pullman Strike in multiple states. | Strike suppressed. Eventual reform. | |
| April 28, 1914 | Woodrow Wilson | Strike and uprising in Colorado. | Strike and uprising suppressed. Eventual reform. |
| August 30, 1921 | Warren G. Harding | Strike and uprising in West Virginia. | Strike and uprising suppressed. Eventual reform. |
| July 28, 1932 | Douglas MacArthur | Army general illegally invokes act against WWI veterans marching for military bonuses in Washington, D . | Protest suppressed. |
| June 21, 1943 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Race riot in Detroit. | Riot suppressed. |
| September 23, 1957 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Arkansas National Guard forbids black students from a school in Little Rock. | Arkansas National Guard federalized and ordered to stand down. Federal troops escort black students to school. |
| September 30, 1962 | John F. Kennedy | Siege and riot of University of Mississippi due to racial integration. | Riot suppressed. |
| June 11, 1963 | Governor of Alabama forbids black students from a school in Tuscaloosa. | Alabama National Guard federalized and ordered to stand down. Federal troops escort black students to school. | |
| September 10, 1963 | Alabama National Guard forbids black students from all-white schools. | Alabama National Guard federalized and ordered to stand down. | |
| March 20, 1965 | Lyndon B. Johnson | Alabamian policemen suppress first Selma to Montgomery marches. | Federalization of Alabama National Guard before the third march. |
| July 24, 1967 | Protests and riots in Detroit. | Riots suppressed. | |
| April 5, 1968 | Riots and civil unrest in multiple states after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.. | Riots suppressed. | |
| November 24, 1987 | Ronald Reagan | Prison riot in Atlanta over announced deportations of Cuban detainees. | Riot suppressed. |
| September 20, 1989 | George H. W. Bush | Looting in the United States Virgin Islands after Hurricane Hugo. | Order restored. |
| May 1, 1992 | Riots in Los Angeles after the acquittal of policemen who beat Rodney King. | Riot suppressed. |
References
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- The White Leaguers Make a Demonstration in New Orleans. Cincinnati Daily Gazette (Cincinnati, Ohio), Tuesday, September
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