A Chronology of Race Riots in America

1829

A race riot in Cincinnati, Ohio compels over 1,000 Blacks to migrate to Canada to flee the violence.

1863

The New York City “Draft Riots”, one of the bloodiest outbreaks of violence in the history of the United States. Immigrant mobs sweep through New York City, killing Blacks and hanging many victims from lampposts. The Negro Orphan Asylum on Fifth Avenue is destroyed by roving mobs. Some 1,000 people are killed and the damage to property is estimated to be close to $2 million.

1866

Race riot in Memphis, Tennessee.

1868

Race riots in New Orleans, Opelousas and St. Bernard Parish, all in the state of Louisiana.

1878

The Colfax Massacre in Grant Parish, Louisiana resulting in the murder of more than 600 Blacks.

1898

A race riot erupts on November 10 in Wilmington, North Carolina. Eight Blacks are reported killed and a total of 30 people are dead in the melee.

1900

A race riot takes place in New Orleans. There is significant property damage; one Black school and 30 homes owned by Blacks are burned down. Several injuries are reported.

1904

Race riot in Springfield, Ohio.

1906

Black soldiers raid Brownsville, Texas, on August 13 in protest against racial insults. One white resident is killed and two are reported injured in the aftermath. President Theodore Roosevelt activates three companies out of the all Black 25th Regiment to quell the violence.

Racial violence erupts in Atlanta, Georgia on September 22 and results in the deaths of 10 Blacks, two whites and dozens of injured. The disturbance lasts for four days. Martial law is proclaimed to restore order.

Race riot in Springfield, Ohio.

1908

On August 14 a race riot erupts in Springfield, Illinois, upon reports that a Black man has raped a white woman. Troops have to be called in to quell the disturbance that spans five days.

1917

East St. Louis erupts in racial violence on July 2. The estimates of the number of Blacks killed ranges between 40 and 200. Martial law is declared in the city.

Soldiers of the 24th Infantry Regiment and white citizens clash in Houston, Texas on August 23. The death toll is two Blacks and 17 whites. Later 13 members of the regiment are hanged.

1918

Five deaths are reported after racial violence in Chester, Pennsylvania on July 25. The unrest lasts for three days.

On July 26 a race riot breaks out in Philadelphia that leaves four dead and 60 injured over a three-day period.

1919

The infamous “Red Summer.”

Race riots break out in Longview and Gregg County, Texas, in July.

In the nation’s capital, Washington D.C., approximately 40 people are killed and 150 injured in racial violence on July 19.

In the bloodiest conflict of the summer, troops are called out to suppress violence in Chicago after angry white mobs unleash havoc on the city commencing July 27 and lasting four days. In the aftermath 15 whites and 23 Blacks are dead, and over 500 people are injured.

In August seven are left dead after racial violence breaks out in Knoxville, Tennessee.

1921

The heart of Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Black business district is destroyed by white mob violence on May 31. When the dust settles 21 whites and, according to some accounts, upward of 300 Blacks are dead. Over 700 are injured.

1923

Racial violence destroys the Black enclave of Rosewood, Florida, leaving eight dead and dozens injured after four days of violence.

1942

Race riot takes place at the Sojourner-Truth Homes in Detroit in February.

1943

Two people are killed in racial violence in Beaumont, Texas.

Another incident of racial violence in Detroit on June 20 leaves 34 people dead.

A race riot occurs in Harlem, New York.

1946

Two people are killed and ten are injured in a race riot in Columbia, Tennessee.

In Athens, Alabama, some one hundred Blacks are injured in an outbreak of violence.

Race riot in Philadelphia.

1960

A riot erupts during a sit-in demonstration in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

A wade-in by Blacks at a local beach sparks a riot in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Violence erupts after 10 days of sit-ins in Jacksonville, Florida.

1964

Harlem, New York erupts, leaving one person dead and over one hundred injured.

Riots in Rochester, New York, leave four dead and some 350 injured.

Riots break out in August in New Jersey in Paterson, Jersey City, and Elizabeth, leaving over 100 people injured.

Riots in Chicago injure over three hundred people.

A race riot breaks out in Philadelphia.

1965

Six days of violence envelop Watts, a section of Los Angeles, on August 11. The toll is 35 dead, approximately 1,000 injured and almost $50 million in property damage. Fire damage is estimated to be $175 million. The disturbance lasts for five days and commands the attention of some 50,000 local and state police, and National Guard troops.

1966

Renewed outbreak in Watts.

1967

Some twenty-four “disorders” borne out of racial conflict engulf American cities and universities.

Spanning several days in July, violence engulfs Newark, New Jersey, leaving 23 people dead, two whites and 21 Blacks, including six women and two children. The disturbance results in over $10 million of property damage. City and state police, and the National Guard converge on the city. The heavy police presence contributes to the tension on the streets.

Just weeks after the Newark riot, Detroit is the scene of one of the nation’s bloodiest riots. The death toll outpaces Newark as 43 people are killed, 33 Blacks and 10 whites. Some of the deaths are attributed to homicides. Property damage is two to three times that of Newark. The National Guard and local and state police add to the confusion on the city’s streets.

1992

Following the verdict in the trial of police who brutally beat Rodney King, violence erupts in Los Angeles. The deadliest disturbance in recent history, the city burns for three days and 52 people are killed and close to 3,000 are injured. Property damage is substantial, estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Close to 5,000 Army troops are called in to restore order.