The Insurrection Act of 1807 has been used repeatedly from the early 19th century through the 20th century, most recently during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. It has not been invoked in the United States since that 1992 deployment by President George H. W. Bush.

What the Insurrection Act Is

The Insurrection Act of 1807 is a federal law that allows the U.S. president to deploy federal troops or federalize the National Guard on U.S. soil to suppress insurrection, rebellion, or serious civil disorder. It functions as a major statutory exception to the Posse Comitatus Act, which normally restricts the military from domestic law‑enforcement activities.

Early and 19th‑Century Uses

In the 19th century, the Act was invoked in a range of internal crises, from border disputes to slave rebellions and labor unrest. A notable early use was in 1831, when President Andrew Jackson used it in connection with Nat Turner’s slave rebellion in Virginia.

Key 19th‑century invocations included:

  • Jackson’s responses to slave rebellion and labor disputes.
  • Ulysses S. Grant’s multiple uses during Reconstruction against Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist violence in the South.

Labor Conflicts and Civil Rights Era

From the late 19th into the early 20th century, presidents used the Insurrection Act to respond to large labor conflicts. Examples include the Pullman Strike of 1894 under Grover Cleveland and major mining and railroad strikes in Colorado and West Virginia in the early 1900s.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the Act became a tool to enforce federal civil‑rights rulings and desegregation orders against state resistance.

  • President Dwight D. Eisenhower invoked it in 1957 to send federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to ensure Black students could enter Central High School.
  • President John F. Kennedy used it in 1962–63 during the University of Mississippi and Alabama school desegregation crises.
  • President Lyndon B. Johnson used it in 1965 around the Selma–Montgomery marches and in 1967–68 during major urban unrest, including Detroit and post–Martin Luther King Jr. assassination riots.

Most Recent Invocations

Use of the Insurrection Act became much rarer after the 1960s, though it did not disappear entirely.

  • In 1989, President George H. W. Bush invoked it to help restore order in the U.S. Virgin Islands after Hurricane Hugo and related looting.
  • In 1992, Bush invoked it again during the Los Angeles riots following the acquittal of police officers in the beating of Rodney King; this is the most recent confirmed invocation.

Despite public discussion and political debate in recent years about using the Insurrection Act for protests or election‑related unrest, there has been no documented invocation after 1992.

Mini Timeline (HTML Table)

Below is a simplified HTML table highlighting some of the most significant times the Insurrection Act was used.

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Date / Period</th>
      <th>President / Actor</th>
      <th>Event</th>
      <th>Outcome</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>1831</td>
      <td>Andrew Jackson</td>
      <td>Nat Turner slave rebellion in Virginia</td>
      <td>Rebellion suppressed using federal authority under the Act. [web:1][web:5]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>1871–1876</td>
      <td>Ulysses S. Grant</td>
      <td>Reconstruction‑era Klan and white supremacist violence</td>
      <td>Federal troops deployed to protect Black citizens and officials. [web:1][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>1894</td>
      <td>Grover Cleveland</td>
      <td>Pullman Strike and related labor unrest</td>
      <td>Strike broken with federal troops; later labor reforms followed. [web:1][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>1957</td>
      <td>Dwight D. Eisenhower</td>
      <td>Little Rock school desegregation crisis</td>
      <td>Arkansas National Guard federalized; Black students escorted into school. [web:1][web:3]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>1962–1965</td>
      <td>John F. Kennedy & Lyndon B. Johnson</td>
      <td>University of Mississippi, Alabama desegregation, Selma marches</td>
      <td>Federal troops/National Guard enforced civil‑rights court orders. [web:1][web:3]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>1967–1968</td>
      <td>Lyndon B. Johnson</td>
      <td>Detroit riot and post‑MLK assassination unrest</td>
      <td>Military forces deployed to multiple cities to restore order. [web:1][web:3]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>1989</td>
      <td>George H. W. Bush</td>
      <td>Hurricane Hugo aftermath in U.S. Virgin Islands</td>
      <td>Looting and disorder suppressed with federal forces. [web:1]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>1992</td>
      <td>George H. W. Bush</td>
      <td>Los Angeles riots after Rodney King verdict</td>
      <td>Federal troops and federalized Guard helped end widespread unrest. [web:1][web:5]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Why It’s Trending Now

Discussion of “insurrection act when was it used” tends to spike whenever:

  • There are large national protests or riots and commentators speculate about sending in the military.
  • Political figures mention using or reforming the Act, raising concerns about civil liberties and presidential power.

Many recent online debates focus on whether expanding or invoking the Insurrection Act today would threaten constitutional rights or is a necessary backstop in extreme domestic crises.

TL;DR: The Insurrection Act has been used roughly a few dozen times since 1807, from slave rebellions and labor wars to civil‑rights battles and urban riots, with the last use during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.