List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States

Listed are major episodes of civil unrest in the United States. This list does not include the numerous incidents of destruction and violence associated with various sporting events.^[1]

18th century

• 1783 – Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783, June 20. Anti-government protest by soldiers of the Continental Army against the Congress of the Confederation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• 1786 – Shays' Rebellion, August 29, 1786 – February 3, 1787, Western Massachusetts
• 1786 – Paper Money Riot, September 20, Exeter, New Hampshire
• 1788 – Doctors Mob Riot, New York City
• 1791–1794 – Whiskey Rebellion, Western Pennsylvania (anti-excise tax on whiskey)
• 1799 – Fries Rebellion, 1799–1800, Tax revolt by Pennsylvania Dutch farmers Pennsylvania

19th century

1800–1849

• 1812 - Baltimore riots, these took place shorty before the War of 1812
• 1824 – Hard Scrabble and Snow Town Riots, 1824 & 1831 respectively, Providence, RI
• 1829 – Cincinnati riots of 1829, August 15–22, Cincinnati, Ohio
• 1831 – Nat Turner's slave rebellion, August 21–23, Southampton County, Virginia
• 1834 – Anti-abolitionist riot, New York City
• 1834 – Attack on Canterbury Female Boarding School, Canterbury, Connecticut
• 1835 – Baltimore bank riot, August 6–9
• 1835 – Gentleman's Riot, numerous riots throughout 1835 targeting abolitionists,^[2] Boston, Massachusetts
• 1835 – Snow Riot, Washington D.C.
• 1835 – Destruction of Noyes Academy, Canaan, New Hampshire
• 1835–1836 – Toledo War, a boundary dispute between states of Michigan and Ohio
• 1836 – Cincinnati Riots of 1836, Cincinnati, Ohio
• 1837 – Flour Riots, New York City
• 1837 – Murder of Elijah Lovejoy
• 1838 – Burning of Pennsylvania Hall
• 1839 – Honey War, Iowa-Missouri border
• 1839 – Anti-Rent War, Hudson Valley, New York
• 1841 – Dorr Rebellion, Rhode Island
• 1841 – Cincinnati Riots of 1841, early September, Cincinnati, Ohio
• 1842 – Lombard Street Riot, (a.k.a. the Abolition Riots), August 1, Philadelphia
• 1842 – Muncy Abolition riot of 1842
• 1844 – Philadelphia Nativist Riots, May 6–8, July 6–7, Philadelphia (anti-Catholic)
• 1849 – Astor Place riot, May 10, New York City, (anti-British)

1850–1859

• 1851 – Christiana Riot, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
• 1853 – Cincinnati Riot of 1853, Cincinnati, Ohio
• 1855 – Cincinnati riots of 1855
• 1855 – Lager Beer Riot, April 21, Chicago, Illinois
• 1855 – Portland Rum Riot, June 2, Portland, Maine
• 1855 – Bloody Monday, Know-Nothing Party riot, August 6, Louisville, Kentucky (anti-immigration)
• 1855 – Detroit brothel riots, 1855–1859, Detroit, Michigan ^[3]
• 1856 – Sacking of Lawrence, Kansas, May 21, 1856, when proslavery settlers, led by Douglas County Sheriff Samuel J. Jones, attacked and ransacked Lawrence, Kansas, founded by antislavery settlers from Massachusetts hoping to make Kansas a free state. The incident fueled the irregular conflict in Kansas Territory that later became known as Bleeding Kansas.
• 1856 – Pottawatomie massacre, May 24, Franklin County, Kansas
• 1856 – Know-Nothing Riot of 1856, Baltimore, Maryland
• 1856 – San Francisco Vigilance Movement, San Francisco, California
• 1857 – Know-Nothing Riot, June 1, Washington D.C. (anti-immigration)
• 1857 – New York City Police Riot, June 16, New York City
• 1857 – Dead Rabbits Riot, July 4–5, New York City
• 1858 – Know-Nothing Riot 1858, New Orleans, Louisiana
• 1859 – John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, October 16, Harpers Ferry, Virginia

1860–1869

• 1861–1865: American Civil War, April 12 – 9, United States
• 1861 – Baltimore Riot of 1861, April 19, (a.k.a. the Pratt Street Riot), Baltimore, Maryland
• 1861 – Camp Jackson Affair, May 10, Union forces clash with Confederate sympathizers on the streets of St. Louis, 28 dead, 100 injured., St. Louis, Missouri
• 1862 – Buffalo riot of 1862, August 12, Buffalo, New York
• 1863 – Detroit race riot of 1863, March 6
• 1863 – Southern bread riots, April 2, Riots which broke out in the South during the Civil War due to food shortages throughout the Confederate States of America
• 1863 – Battle of Fort Fizzle, June, also known as the Holmes County Draft Riots, active resistance to the draft during the Civil War, Holmes County, Ohio
• 1863 – New York City draft riots, July 13–16, (anti-draft)
• 1864 – Charleston Riot, March 28, Charleston, Illinois
• 1865 – April 1-3, 1865:Burning of Richmond The endgame of the Civil War
• 1866 – Memphis Riots of 1866, May 1–3, Race riot that broke out during Reconstruction, Memphis, Tennessee
• 1866 – New Orleans riot, July 30, New Orleans, Louisiana
• 1868 – Pulaski Riot, Pulaski, Tennessee

1870–1879

The New York Orange Riot of 1871, between Irish Catholics and Irish Protestants.

• 1870 – First New York City Orange riot
• 1870 – Kirk-Holden war, July–November, Caswell and Alamance counties North Carolina
• 1870 – Mamaroneck Riot, labor riot between Italian and Irish laborers
• 1871 – Second New York City Orange riot
• 1871 – Meridian race riot of 1871, March, Meridian, Mississippi
• 1871 – Los Angeles anti-Chinese riot, Los Angeles, California
• 1873 – Colfax massacre, April 13, Colfax, Louisiana
• 1874 – Election Riot of 1874, Barbour County, Alabama
• 1874 – Tompkins Square Riot, New York City
• 1874 – Battle of Liberty Place, New Orléans, Louisiana
• 1876 – South Carolina civil disturbances of 1876, South Carolina
• 1877 – Widespread rioting occurred across the US as part of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877:
  • Baltimore railroad strike in Baltimore, Maryland
  • Chicago railroad strike of 1877, Chicago, IL
  • Philadelphia Railroad Strike, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Pittsburgh Railway Riots, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Reading Railroad massacre, Reading, Pennsylvania
  • Saint Louis general strike, July, East St. Louis, Illinois
  • Scranton General Strike, in Scranton, Pennsylvania
  • Shamokin uprising, Shamokin, Pennsylvania
• 1877 – San Francisco Riot of 1877

1880–1889

• 1880 – 1880 Garret Mountain May Day riot, May 1, Paterson, New Jersey
• 1882 – Greenwood, New York, insurrection of 1882
• 1884 – Cincinnati riots of 1884, March 28–30, Cincinnati, Ohio
• 1885 – Rock Springs massacre, September 2, 1885, riot between Chinese miners and white miners; 28 killed, 15 injured, Rock Springs, Wyoming
• 1886 – Seattle riot of 1886, February 6–9, Seattle, Washington
• 1886 – Haymarket riot, May 4, Chicago, Illinois
• 1886 – Bay View Massacre, May 4; 1400 workers march for eight hour work day; 7 killed and several more wounded after confrontation with National Guard. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• 1887 – Thibodaux Massacre, November 22–25; a racial attack mounted by white paramilitary groups in Thibodaux, Louisiana in November 1887 Thibodaux, Louisiana
• 1888 – Jaybird-Woodpecker War, 1888–90, violent post-Reconstruction political conflict in Texas. Fort Bend County, Texas

1890–1899

• 1891 – Hennessy Affair, New Orleans, Louisiana
• 1892 – Homestead strike, July 6, 1892, Homestead, Pennsylvania
• 1892–1893 – Mitcham War, Clarke County, Alabama
• 1894 – May Day riots of 1894, May 1, Cleveland, Ohio
• 1894 – Pullman strike participants burn World's Columbian Exposition buildings, Chicago, Illinois
• 1894 – Bituminous Coal Miners' Strike, coal mining regions
• 1895 – New Orleans dockworkers riot, New Orleans, Louisiana
• 1897 – Lattimer massacre, September 1897, near Hazleton, Pennsylvania
• 1898 – Battle of Virden, October 12, Coal strike; 11 killed, 35 wounded, Virden, Illinois
• 1898 – Phoenix election riot, November 8, Greenwood County, South Carolina
• 1898 – Wilmington insurrection, November 10, Wilmington, North Carolina
• 1899 – Pana riot, April 10, Coal mine labor conflict; 7 killed, 6 wounded, Pana, Illinois
• 1899 – Coeur d'Alene, Idaho labor confrontation of 1899

20th century

1900–1909

• 1900 – Akron Riot of 1900, Akron, Ohio
• 1900 – New Orleans Riot
• 1901 – Denver Riots, Denver, Colorado
• 1901 – New York Race Riots
• 1901 – Pierce City Riots, Pierce City, Missouri
• 1902 – Liverpool Riots, Denver, Colorado
• 1903 – Colorado Labor Wars, 1903–1904
• 1903 – Anthracite Coal Strike, Eastern Pennsylvania
• 1903 – Evansville Race Riot, Evansville, Indiana
• 1903 – Motormen's Riot, Richmond, Virginia
• 1905 – 1905 Chicago teamsters' strike, April 7 – July 19, Conflict between the Teamsters Union and the Employers' Association of Chicago by the end, 21 people killed and 416 injured, mostly workers. Chicago, IL
• 1906 – Rioting and looting after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
• 1906 – Atlanta Riots, Atlanta, Georgia
• 1907 – Bellingham riots, Bellingham, Washington
• 1908 – Springfield Race Riot, Springfield, Illinois
• 1909 – Greek Town riot, February 21, South Omaha, Nebraska

1910–1919

• 1910 – Johnson–Jeffries riots
• 1910–1919 – Bandit War Southern Texas
• 1910 – Philadelphia general strike (1910), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• 1912 – Lawrence textile strike, Lawrence, Massachusetts (January to March)
• 1912 – Grabow riot (July 7)
• 1913 – Wheatland Riot, August 3, Wheatland, California
• 1913 – Paterson silk strike, February 25 – July 28 Paterson, New Jersey
• 1913 – Copper Country Strike of 1913–1914, Calumet, Michigan
• 1913 – Colorado Coalfield War, September 23 – April 29, 1914, Southern Colorado
• 1913 – Indianapolis streetcar strike of 1913, October 30 – November 7, Indianapolis, Indiana
• 1914 – Ludlow massacre, April 20, Ludlow, Colorado
• 1916 – Preparedness Day bombing, July 22, San Francisco, California
• 1916 – Everett massacre, November 5, Everett, Washington
• 1917 – East St. Louis Race Riots, July 2, St. Louis, Missouri & East St. Louis, Illinois
• 1917 – Chester race riot, July 25–29, Chester, Pennsylvania
• 1917 – Springfield Vigilante Riot, Springfield, Missouri
• 1917 – Green Corn Rebellion, August 3, A brief popular uprising advocating for the rural poor and against military conscription, Central Oklahoma
• 1917 – Houston Race riot, August 23, Houston, Texas
• 1917 – St. Paul Streetcar Riots, October and December, St. Paul, Minnesota
• 1918 – Detroit trolley riot, Detroit, Michigan ^[3]
• 1919 – Seattle General Strike, February 6–11, Seattle, Washington
• 1919 – May Day Riots, May 1, Cleveland, Ohio, Boston, Massachusetts, New York City, New York (state)
• 1919 – Red Summer, white riots against blacks

• 1919 – Annapolis riot of 1919, June 27, Annapolis, Maryland
• 1919 – Boston Police Strike, September 9–11, Boston, Massachusetts
• 1919 – Steel Strike of 1919, September 22 – January 8 Pennsylvania
• 1919 – Coal Strike of 1919, November 1 – December 10 Pennsylvania
• 1919 – Centralia Massacre, November 11, Centralia, Washington

1920–1929

• 1920 – Battle of Matewan, May 20, Matewan, West Virginia
• 1920 – Ocoee massacre, November 2–3, Ocoee, Florida
• 1921 – Tulsa Race Massacre, May 31 – June 1, Tulsa, Oklahoma
• 1921 – Battle of Blair Mountain, August–September, Logan County, West Virginia
• 1922 – Herrin Massacre, June 21–22, Herrin, Illinois
• 1922 – Straw Hat Riot, September 13–15, New York City, New York
• 1922 – Perry race riot, December 14–15, Perry, Florida
• 1923 – Rosewood Massacre, January 1–7, Rosewood, Florida
• 1925 – Ossian Sweet incident, September, Detroit, Michigan
• 1927 – Yakima Valley Anti-Filipino Riot, November 8–11, Yakima Valley
• 1927 – Columbine Mine Massacre, November 21, Serene, Colorado
• 1929 – Loray Mill strike, Gastonia, North Carolina

1930–1939

• 1930 – Watsonville Riots, January 19–23, Watsonville, California
• 1931 – Battle of Evarts, May 5, Harlan County, Kentucky
• 1931 – The Housing Protests, August 3, Chicago, Illinois
• 1931 – Hawaii Riot, Hawaii
• 1932 – Bonus Army March, Spring/Summer 1932, Washington, D.C.
• 1932 – Ford Hunger March, March 7, 3,000 unemployed workers march on Ford Motors, five are killed, River Rouge plant, Dearborn, Michigan
• 1934 – Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• 1934 – Auto-Lite strike, April 4 – June 3, the "Battle of Toledo" riot, Toledo, Ohio
• 1934 – 1934 West Coast Longshore Strike, May 9 – October 12, San Francisco Bay Area, California; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington
• 1934 – Textile workers strike (1934)
• 1934 – Detroit World Series riot, October 10, Detroit, Michigan ^[3]
• 1935 – Harlem Riot, March 19–20, New York City
• 1935 – Southern Tenant Farmers' Union Riot, Arkansas
• 1935 – Terre Haute General Strike, July 22–23, A labor dispute between an enameling company and a labor union led to a two-day general strike. Indiana National Guard was called out and martial law was declared by the Governor. The city was under a state of martial law for six months. It was the third general strike in U.S. History. Terre Haute, Indiana
• 1937 – Flint Sit-Down Strike, General Motors' Fisher Body Plant, Flint, Michigan
• 1937 – Battle of the Overpass, May 26, Dearborn, Michigan ^[3]
• 1937 – Republic Steel Strike, May 30, Chicago, Illinois
• 1939 – U.S. Nazi Riot, New York City

1940–1949

• 1942 – Sojourner Truth Homes Riot, February 28, Detroit, Michigan
• 1943 – Beaumont race riot of 1943, June, Beaumont, Texas
• 1943 – Zoot Suit Riots, July 3, Los Angeles, California (anti-Hispanic and anti-zoot suit)
• 1943 – Detroit race riot of 1943, June 20–21, Detroit, Michigan
• 1943 – Harlem riot of 1943, August 1–3, New York City, New York
• 1946 – Columbia race riot of 1946, February 25–26, Columbia, Tennessee
• 1946 – Battle of Athens (1946), August, revolt by citizens against corrupt local government, McMinn County, Tennessee
• 1946 – Airport Homes race riots, Chicago, Illinois
• 1947 – Fernwood Park race riot, mid-August, Fernwood, Chicago, IL
• 1949 – Fairground Park riot, June 21, St. Louis Missouri
• 1949 – Anacostia Pool Riot, June 29, Anacostia, Washington, D.C.
• 1949 – Peekskill riots, Peekskill, New York
• 1949 – Englewood race riot, November 8–12, Englewood, Chicago, IL

1950–1959

• 1950 – San Juan Nationalist revolt, Utuado Uprising, Jayuya Uprising, October 30, Various uprisings against United States Government rule during the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950s in Puerto Rico
• 1951 – Cicero race riot of 1951, July 12, Cicero, Illinois
• 1956 – Mansfield School Integration Incident 400 pro-segregationists brandishing weapons and racist signage prevent 12 black children from entering Mansfield High School Mansfield, TX
• 1958 – Battle of Hayes Pond, January 18, Maxton, North Carolina, Armed confrontation between members of the NC Lumbee tribe and the KKK.
• 1959 – Harriett-Henderson Cotton Mills Strike Henderson, North Carolina

1960–1969

1968 Washington, D.C., riots

• 1960 – HUAC riot, May 13, Students protest House Un-American Activities Committee hearings, 12 injured, 64 arrested, San Francisco, California
• 1960 – Newport Jazz Festival Riot, July 2, Newport, Rhode Island
• 1960 – El Cajon Boulevard Riot, August 20, San Diego, California
• 1960 – Ax Handle Saturday, August 27, Jacksonville, Florida
• 1962 – Ole Miss riot 1962, September 3 – October 1, The University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi
• 1963 – Birmingham riot of 1963, May 11, Birmingham, Alabama
• 1963 – Cambridge riot 1963, June 14, Cambridge, Maryland
• 1964 – Chester school protests, April 2–26, Chester, Pennsylvania
• 1964 – 1964 Monson Motor Lodge protests June thru August, St. Augustine, Florida
• 1964 – the July 16 killing of James Powell by police in the Yorkville neighborhood just south of East Harlem precipitates a string of race riots in July and August, including:
  • 1964 – Harlem Riot of 1964, July 16–22, New York City
  • 1964 – Rochester 1964 race riot, July 24–25, Rochester, New York
  • 1964 – Jersey City Riot, August 3–5, A disorderly conduct arrest set off accusations of police brutality and were followed by protests and riots.^[4] At least two residents were shot and several police and rioters were injured,^[5] Jersey City, NJ
  • 1964 – Dixmoor race riot, August 15–17, Dixmoor, Illinois
  • 1964 – Philadelphia 1964 race riot, August 28–30, Philadelphia
• 1965 – Selma to Montgomery marches, March 7–25, Alabama
• 1965 – Watts riots, August 11–17, Los Angeles, California
• 1966 – Division Street riots, June 12–14, Humboldt Park, Chicago, Illinois
• 1966 – Omaha riot of 1966, July 2, Omaha, Nebraska
• 1966 – 1966 Chicago West-Side riots, July 12–15, Chicago, Illinois
• 1966 – Hough riots, July 18–24, Cleveland, Ohio
• 1966 – Compton's Cafeteria Riot, August, San Francisco, California
• 1966 – Marquette Park housing march, August 5, Chicago, Illinois
• 1966 – Waukegan riot, August 27, Waukegan, Illinois
• 1966 – Benton Harbor riots, August 30 – September 4, Benton Harbor, Michigan
• 1966 – Summerhill and Vine City Riots, September 6–8 Atlanta, Georgia
• 1966 – Hunters Point social uprising, September 27 – October 1 San Francisco, California
• 1966 – Sunset Strip curfew riots, November 12, various other flareups, basis for the song "For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield song)", West Hollywood, California
• 1967 – Long Hot Summer of 1967 refers to a year in which 159 race riots, almost all African-American, erupted across the United States, including:
  • 1967 – Avondale riots, June 12–15, Cincinnati, Ohio
  • 1967 – Buffalo riot of 1967, June 27, Buffalo, New York
  • 1967 – 1967 Newark riots, July 12–17, Newark, New Jersey
  • 1967 – 1967 Plainfield riots, July 14–21, Plainfield, New Jersey
  • 1967 – Cairo riot, July 17, Cairo, Illinois
  • 1967 – 1967 Detroit riot, July 23–29, Detroit, Michigan
  • 1967 – Cambridge riot of 1967, July 24, a.k.a. the H. Rap Brown riot, Cambridge, Maryland
  • 1967 – 1967 Saginaw riot, July 26, Saginaw, Michigan
  • 1967 – Milwaukee riot, July 30, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• 1968 – Orangeburg Massacre, S.C. State Univ., February 8, Orangeburg, South Carolina
• 1968 – Memphis Sanitation Strike riot, March 28, Memphis, Tennessee
• 1968 – Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., April 4, Memphis, Tennessee, precipitates all April 4–14 riots, including:
  • 1968 – 1968 Detroit riot, April 4–5, Detroit, Michigan
  • 1968 – 1968 New York City riots, April 4–5, New York City, New York
  • 1968 – 1968 Washington, D.C. riots, April 4–8, Washington, D.C.
  • 1968 – 1968 Chicago riots, West Side Riots, April 5–7, Chicago, Illinois
  • 1968 – 1968 Pittsburgh riots, April 5–11, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • 1968 – Baltimore riot of 1968, April 6–14, Baltimore, Maryland
  • 1968 – Avondale riot of 1968, April 8, Cincinnati, Ohio
  • 1968 – 1968 Kansas City riot, April 9, Kansas City, Missouri
  • 1968 – Wilmington Riot of 1968, April 9–10, Wilmington, Delaware
  • 1968 – Trenton Riot of 1968, April 9–11, Trenton, New Jersey
• 1968 – Columbia University protests of 1968, April 23, New York City, New York
• 1968 – Louisville riots of 1968, May 27, Louisville, Kentucky
• 1968 – Akron riot, July 17–23, Akron, Ohio
• 1968 – Glenville Shootout, July 23–28, Cleveland, Ohio
• 1968 – 1968 Miami riot, August 7–8, Miami, Florida
• 1968 – 1968 Democratic National Convention protests, including the police riots of August 27–28, Chicago, Illinois
• 1969 – Zip to Zap riot, May 9–11, Zap, North Dakota
• 1969 – People's Park Riots, May, Berkeley, California
• 1969 – 1969 Greensboro uprising, May 21–25, Greensboro, North Carolina
• 1969 – Cairo disorders, May–December, Cairo, Illinois
• 1969 – Stonewall riots, June 28 – July 2, New York City, New York
• 1969 – 1969 York Race Riot, July 17–24, York, Pennsylvania
• 1969 – Days of Rage, October 8–11, Weathermen riot in Chicago, Illinois

1970–1979

• 1970 – San Francisco Police Department Park Station bombing, February 16, San Francisco, CA
• 1970 – University of Puerto Rico riot, March 4–11, at least one killed, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico
• 1970 – Student strike of 1970, May 1970
• 1970 – Kent State riots/shootings, May 1970, four killed, Kent, Ohio
• 1970 – New Haven Green Disorders, Yale University, May 1970, New Haven, Connecticut
• 1970 – Augusta Riot, May 11–13, Augusta, Georgia
• 1970 – Hard Hat Riot, Wall Street, May 8, New York City
• 1970 – Jackson State killings, May 14–15, two killed, Jackson, Mississippi
• 1970 – 1970 Asbury Park race riots, July 4–10, Asbury Park, New Jersey
• 1970 – 1970 Memorial Park riot, August 24–27, Royal Oak, Michigan
• 1970 – Sterling Hall bombing, Univ. of Wisc., August 24, one killed, Madison, Wisconsin
• 1970 – Chicano Moratorium riot, August 29, Los Angeles, California
• 1971 – Wilmington riot 1971, February 9, Wilmington, North Carolina
• 1971 – May Day protests 1971, May 3, Washington, D.C.
• 1971 – Camden riots, August 1971, Camden, New Jersey
• 1971 – Attica Prison uprising, September 9–13, at least 39 killed, Attica, New York
• 1973 – Wounded Knee incident, February 27 – May 8, Wounded Knee, South Dakota
• 1973 – Shooting of Clifford Glover Riot, April 23, Rioting broke out in South Jamaica, Queens after an undercover NYPD officer shot and killed a ten-year-old African-American youth. New York, New York
• 1974 – SLA Shootout, May 17, Los Angeles, California
• 1974 – Baltimore police strike, July, Baltimore, Maryland
• 1974 – Boston busing race riots anti-busing riots throughout Boston, Massachusetts
• 1975 – Livernois–Fenkell riot, July 1975, Detroit, Michigan
• 1976 – Escambia High School riots, February 5, Pensacola, Florida
• 1976 – Anti-busing riot in downtown Boston, April 5, Boston, Massachusetts
• 1976 – Marquette Park unrest, June–August, Chicago, Illinois
• 1977 – Humboldt Park riot, June 5–6, Chicago, Illinois
• 1977 – New York City Blackout riot 1977, July 13–14, New York City, New York
• 1978 – Fireman Strike Arson, July 2, 1978, Memphis, TN
• 1978 – Moody Park riot, May 5, 1978, Houston, Texas
• 1979 – Herman Hill riot, April 15, Wichita, Kansas
• 1979 – White Night riots, May 1979, San Francisco, California
• 1979 – Levittown Gas Riot, June 23–24, Thousands rioted in response to increased gasoline prices in the U.S., 198 arrested, 44 police and 200 rioters injured. Gas stations were damaged and cars set on fire, Levittown, Pennsylvania
• 1979 – Greensboro massacre, November 3, Greensboro, North Carolina

1980–1989

• 1980 – New Mexico State Penitentiary riot, February 2–3, Santa Fe, New Mexico
• 1980 – Miami riot 1980, May 17–19, Miami, Florida
• 1982 – Miami riot 1982, December 28, A Miami policeman shoots a black video game player in an arcade. Riots breakout in the Overtown section of Miami. Miami, Florida
• 1985 – Philadelphia bombing of MOVE house by police using C4 plastic explosives dropped from a helicopter killing 11, including 5 children, and the ensuing loss of a city block to fire (May 13, 1985)^[6]
• 1986 – Marquette Park KKK rally, June 28, Chicago, Illinois
• 1988 – Tompkins Square Park riot, August 6–7, New York City
• 1988 – Cedar Grove, Shreveport, Louisiana
• 1989 – 1989 Miami riot, January 16–18, Miami policeman kills a black motorcycle rider. Riots breakout in the Overtown section of the city. Miami, Florida

1990–1999

• 1991 – 1991 Washington, DC riot, Mount Pleasant riot, May 5–9, Washington, D.C.
• 1991 – Crown Heights riot, August 1991, Brooklyn, New York
• 1992 – L.A. Rodney King riots, April–May 1992, Los Angeles, California
• 1992 – West Las Vegas riots, April 29, Las Vegas, Nevada
• 1992 – 1992 Washington Heights riots, July 4–7, Manhattan, New York, Dominican community
• 1996 – St. Petersburg, Florida Riot 1996, October 1996, St. Petersburg, Florida
• 1997 – North Hollywood shootout, February 1997, Los Angeles, California
• 1999 – Michigan State University student riot, April 1999, East Lansing, Michigan
• 1999 – Woodstock '99 music festival incident, July 1999, Rome, New York
• 1999 – WTO Meeting of 1999, "The Battle of Seattle", November 1999, Seattle, Washington

21st century

2000–2009

• 2000 – Elián González affair, Miami, Florida
• 2000 – Puerto Rican Day Parade attacks, June 11, Central Park, New York City
• 2000 – Brooks Brothers riot, November 22, Miami-Dade County, Florida
• 2001 – Seattle Mardi Gras riot, February 27, Seattle, Washington
• 2001 – 2001 Cincinnati Riots, April 10–12, Cincinnati, Ohio
• 2003 – Benton Harbor riot, June 2003, Benton Harbor, Michigan
• 2003 – Miami FTAA Protests, November 2003, Miami, Florida
• 2005 – Civil disturbances and military action in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, August – September, New Orleans, Louisiana
• 2005 – 2005 Toledo riot, October 15, Toledo, Ohio
• 2006 – San Bernardino punk riot, March 4, San Bernardino, California
• 2007 – The Los Angeles May Day mêlée, May 1, Los Angeles, California
• 2009 – Riots against BART Police shooting of Oscar Grant, January 7, 120 arrested, Oakland, California
• 2009 – Akron riots, March 14, 2009, 7 arrested; and July 2009, unknown number arrested, Akron, Ohio
• 2009 – 2009 G-20 Pittsburgh summit protests, September 24–25, 193 arrested

2010–2019

• 2010 – Springfest riot, April 10, 200 police disperse crowd of 8,000 using tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and bean bag rounds, near the campus of James Madison University; dozens injured. 30–35 arrested; Harrisonburg, Virginia.
• 2010 – Santa Cruz May Day riot, May 1, 250 rampage through downtown Santa Cruz attacking 18 businesses, causing an estimated $100,000 in damages. 1 arrested. Santa Cruz, California.
• 2010 – Oakland protest riot, November 5, Police made more than 150 arrests as a crowd broke windows and knocked down fences, protesting sentence of former BART officer in shooting of Oscar Grant on New Years Day 2009; see BART Police shooting of Oscar Grant. Oakland, California
• 2011 – Madison Occupation. Protestors storm and occupy the Wisconsin state capitol building for 18 days.
• 2011 – Occupy Wall Street (Brooklyn Bridge protests). Demonstrators blocked the bridge and more than 700 people were arrested. New York, New York
• 2011 – Occupy Oakland Oakland protests riots. October. Protesters shattered windows, set fires, and plastered buildings with graffiti. Riot police fired heavy amounts of tear gas on the protesters.
• 2012 – Kentucky Wildcats supporters in Lexington, Kentucky^[7]
• 2012 – NATO 2012 Chicago Summit, May. Conflict between riot police and protesters. Dozens of demonstrators clubbed and arrested.
• 2012 – Anaheim police shooting and protests, July 28. Violence erupted after multiple shootings in the neighborhood by police that included unarmed Manuel Diaz. 24 people were arrested.
• 2013 – Flatbush Riots, March 11, Riots in Brooklyn, New York after the death of Kimani Gray who was shot and killed by NYPD.
• 2014 – Bundy Standoff, April 5–May, an armed confrontation between supporters of cattle rancher Cliven Bundy and law enforcement following a 21-year legal dispute in which the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) obtained court orders directing Bundy to pay over $1 million in withheld grazing fees for Bundy's use of federally-owned land adjacent to Bundy's ranch in southeastern Nevada.
• 2014 – Ferguson unrest, Ferguson and St. Louis, Missouri, August 10 and November 24. Following the shooting death of Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer, protests erupt in the streets. Police respond with riot gear, tear gas, sound canons, police dogs, concussion grenades, rubber bullets, pepper balls, wooden bullets, beanbag rounds, tasers, pepper spray, and armored vehicles. Unrest occurred continuously for weeks in August, and sporadically through December, with nearly daily protests throughout the period and rioting following the non-indictment announcement on November 24. Unrest again occurred on the one year anniversary in August 2015, with dozens of arrests.
• 2014 – St. Louis, Missouri – October 8, police vehicle windows broken as rage at the killing of Vonderrit Myers Jr. Protests continued for days afterward, during the nearby and ongoing Ferguson Unrest.
• 2014 – New York, New York, and Berkeley, California – After prosecutors and a grand jury refused to indict a police officer in the death of Eric Garner, protests erupted in New York City and other cities.
• 2014 Oakland riots, November–December, A series of riots and civil disturbances that took place in Oakland and the surrounding area, in reaction to the events involving the Shooting of Michael Brown and later, the death of Eric Garner, Oakland, California
• 2014 – Berkeley, Missouri, December 23–24. Antonio Martin is shot to death by police in a St. Louis suburb nearby to Ferguson, leading to violent conflict with police, and looting.
• 2015 – 2015 Baltimore protests, April 25–28. Days of protests break out following the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody. 34 people are arrested and 15 Officers injured after rioting and looting break out. Gray's funeral was held on April 27 and followed by further protests and looting. Governor Hogan had preemptively activated the Maryland National Guard, while the Maryland State Police had activated at least 500 officers.
• 2015 – St. Louis, Missouri, August 19. Conflict with police following fatal shooting by St. Louis police officers of black teenager Mansur Ball-Bey leads to deployment of tear gas then burned car, buildings, and looting. Protests continue in subsequent days with tensions remaining high.
• 2016 – Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, January–February 2016. 1 killed and several dozen arrested at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon.
• 2016 – 2016 Donald Trump Chicago rally protest, March 11. Five people arrested and two police officers injured during a demonstration at the UIC Pavilion.
• 2016 – Democracy Spring rally in April. March to Washington D.C. and sit-ins lead to arrests.
• 2016 – 2016 Sacramento riot, June 26, A confrontation between white nationalists and left-wing counter protesters at the California State Capitol. Ten people were hospitalized for stabbing and laceration wounds.
• 2016 – Widespread protests erupt in response to two deaths at the hands of police, the Shooting of Alton Sterling and shooting of Philando Castile. At least 261 people were arrested in protests in New York City, Chicago, St. Paul, Baton Rouge, and other cities.
• 2016 – 2016 Milwaukee riots, Sherman Park, August 13–15. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, sparked by the fatal police shooting of 23-year-old Sylville Smith.
• 2016 – 2016 Charlotte riot, September 20–21, Protests and riots break out in response to the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott by a Charlotte police officer.
• 2016 – Dakota Access Pipeline protests, 411 protesters arrested. Multiple skirmishes with police, with vehicles, hay bales, and tires set on fire.
• 2016 – Anti-Trump protests, November 9–27. As a result of Donald Trump elected as 45th President of the U.S., thousands protested across twenty-five American cities, and unrest broke out in downtown Oakland, California, and Portland, Oregon. In Oakland, over 40 fires started and police officers were injured.
• 2017 – Berkeley, California, February 1, civil unrest ensued at UC Berkeley as Milo Yiannopoulos was scheduled to speak on the campus.^[8][9]
• 2017 – 2017 Anaheim, California protests, February 21, protesters demonstrate after police officer grabs boy and fires his gun. Protesters damage property and throw bottles and rocks at police.
• 2017 – May Day, in Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon, protestors demonstrated for workers rights. Protestors damaged property and confronted law enforcement.
• 2017 – 2017 Unite the Right rally, Charlottesville, Virginia, August 11–12. At a Unite the Right rally of white nationalists and white supremacists opposing the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, rally attendees and counter-protesters clashed, sometimes violently. A woman, Heather Heyer, was killed and 19 other injured when a rally attendee drove his car into a crowd of counter-protestors. Two law enforcement officers also died in a helicopter crash while monitoring the event.
• 2017 – 2017 St. Louis protests, beginning September 15, large protests erupted when police officer Jason Stockley was found not guilty of murder in the shooting death of Anthony Lamar Smith on December 20, 2011. Some of the protests turned destructive and the police became violent. Windows were broken at Mayor Lyda Krewson's house and in the Central West End business district on the first night, many windows were broken in the Delmar Loop on September 16, a few were broken downtown on September 17 after police drove swiftly through a crowd following a peaceful march. Police conducted a kettling mass arrest operation of nonviolent protesters and bystanders, beating and pepper spraying many, including journalists, documentary filmmakers, and an undercover officer. Protests and sporadic unrest continued daily for weeks.
• 2019 – Memphis riot, June 13, following the fatal shooting of Brandon Webber by U.S. Marshals, Memphis, TN.

2020–2021

• 2020 – New York City FTP protests, January 31, Anti-Transit Police and MTA protest resulting in hundreds of arrests over the three separate days of demonstration. Vandalism and violence on train stations were reported.
• 2020 – 2020–2021 United States racial unrest begins.
• 2020 –
  

  Protesters surround a police precinct in Minneapolis during the George Floyd protests, part of a larger wave of civil unrest in 2020 and 2021.
  Protests began on May 26 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and spread around the world after the killing of George Floyd. Derek Chauvin, the policeman who held his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly eight minutes, was fired along with the three other officers involved. Chauvin was charged with manslaughter and second-degree murder. The other three policemen were charged with aiding and abetting murder. Protests spread to other American cities and then to other countries with Floyd's murder garnering international condemnation.^[10] Protest tactics included peaceful occupation and resistance, but was overshadowed by widespread looting and damage of private and public properties. In the Seattle neighborhood of Capitol Hill, an occupation protest and self-declared autonomous zone was established on June 8, 2020 covering six city blocks and a park after the Seattle Police Department left their East Precinct building. The area was cleared of occupants by police on July 1, 2020.
• 2020 – Kenosha unrest, Aug. 23–28, On August 23 Jacob Blake was shot in the back by a police officer while not complying with their attempt to arrest him. Protests and rioting occurred after the incident. A State of Emergency was declared and police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. During several days of rioting, Government buildings were damaged, businesses were looted and set on fire, and vehicles were firebombed, including 100 cars burned at a car dealership. On the third day of unrest an armed teenager, from out of state, shot three rioters, wounding one and killing two others. By August 28, almost 1000 Wisconsin National Guard troops were on the streets, backed by National Guard troops from Michigan, Alabama and Arizona. Nearly 100 buildings were damaged with the cost of damage to City property close to $2 million and the cost to private property damaged near $50 million. Kenosha, WI
• 2020 – Minneapolis false rumors riot, Aug. 26–28, On August 26 a false rumor that police shot a man in Minneapolis, started riots that set four buildings on fire and damaged 72 more.
• 2020 – Jewish Protest, October 7–8 Brooklyn, New York, Members of the Orthodox Jewish community protested over new Covid restrictions. Minor fires were set, masks were burned, and journalist Jacob Kornbluh was attacked. Heshy Tischler was taken into custody for inciting a riot.^[11]
• 2020 – Philadelphia riot, Oct 26 – Ongoing, Caused by the Killing of Walter Wallace by Philadelphia police.
• 2020 – 2020–2021 United States election protests begin on November 5. There were multiple violent incidents in Washington DC. Clashes between pro-Trump supporters and counter protestors occurred on multiple nights, including November 14 and December 12. There were multiple stabbings and over 23 people arrested on the night of December 12.
• 2021 – Storming of the United States Capitol, January 6, U.S. Capitol stormed by pro-Trump supporters in an attempt to stop electoral vote certification by U.S. Congress. The Capitol was vandalized, including doors, windows, and offices of various members of Congress. Five people died during the event. One person was shot and killed by police, a police officer died in hospital two days later, one died from non a related stroke, one died from a heart attack, and another from being crushed during the events, and nearly 140 police officers were injured.^[12]The Chief of the Capitol Police resigned under pressure.

See also

• List of conflicts in North America
• List of incidents of civil unrest in Colonial North America
• List of protest marches on Washington, DC
• List of race riots – see U.S. section.
• List of rebellions in the United States
• List of riots (notable incidents of civil disorder worldwide)
• List of violent spectator incidents in sports
• Lists of Incidents of unrest and violence in the United States by city
• Mass racial violence in the United States
• Murder of workers in labor disputes in the United States
• List of incidents of political violence in Washington, D.C.

References

Further reading

• Gottesman, Ronald, and Richard Maxwell Brown, eds. Violence in America: an encyclopedia (1999).
• Graham, Hugh Davis, and Ted Robert Gurr, eds. Violence in America: Historical and comparative perspectives (1969).
• Gurr, Ted Robert, ed. Violence in America: Protest, rebellion, reform (1979).
• Hofstadter, Richard, and Michael Wallace, eds. American violence: A documentary history (1971).
• Victor, Orville J. History Of American Conspiracies: A Record Of Treason, Insurrection, Rebellion, &c. In The United States Of America. From 1760 To 1860 (1863) online