President Donald Trump says he would consider invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807 to fight crime and battle protester in Democratic controlled cities.
I would do it if it was necessary if courts block his deployment of National Guard troops Trump told media in Oval Office on Oct 6 so fat it has not been necessary. but we have Insurrection Act for reason If i had to enact it I would do that”
The Insurrection Act
“It has been invoked before” Trump told media
“We want safe cities”.
The insurrection Act or predecessors have been invoked 30 times in American history G Washington suppressed the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794.
The past time it was used was G Bush defense of Los Angeles during 1992 riots.
The law gives the president power to deploy US armed forces to suppress rebellion and civil unrest or when federal laws are being obstructed.
Presidents deployed troops domestically against wished of state and local leaders even though they have authority to do so.
When presidents have used power against the wished of state or local officials it was in reply to those officials not enforcing.
Supreme Court decision and federal laws or failing to quell insurrection against government.
The last time president invoked it against wished of state leaders was to suppress violent massive resistance to civil rights in 1950 and 60.
Trump threstened to invoke act during first term in 2020 but pulled back when Defense Secretary Mark Esper publicly opposed the move.
Trump has invoked other statutes to deploy national guard and even the US military to state like Californiaa and Illinois against wishes of those governors.
1992 Los Angeles Riots
President G Bush invoked act on May 1, 1992 after acquittal of LAPD officers who beat Black motorist Rodney King sparked rioting in South Central Los Angeles and else where.
Bush deployed the National Gaurd and US troop to restore order after California Gov. Pete Wilson and Mayor Tom Bradley requested federal assistance.
The riots which were response to longstanding and pent up racial tensions caused widespread looting prolonged shootouts arson fires violence in city.
53 people were killed with over 2380 injured and 12000 arrested.
Property damages estimates of over $1 billion at time made it the most destructive period of local unrest in US history.
1957-1968 The Civil Rights era
President Dwight Eisenhower federalized the National Guard and deployed the 101st Airborne Division of US Army to enforce desegregation in Arkansas after Gov Orval Faubus used National Guard to block nine Black student from entering a Little Rock high school.
President JF Kennedy invoked Act to enforce federal desegregation orders at University of Missisippi in 1962 and again in 1963 after Gov George Wallace said he would stand in the school house door to block admission of two Black student to all white University of Alabama.
President Lyndon B Johnson invoked the Act to send troops into Detroit during 1967 riots and again in 1968 in cities including Washington Baltimor and Chicago to unrest after assassinationon Luther King Jr.
1794 The Whiskey Rebellion
The Insurrection Act existed and helped lead to its creation President George Washington invoked the Militia Acts of 1792 to put down armed uprising in western Pennsylvania where farmers were rebelling against a federal whiskey tax.
Washingto is said to have led over 10,000 army troops in what is believed to be first and only time a sitting president has commanded troops in field.
The federal reply quashed the rebellion without bloodshed and was seen as important precedent in how federal government could anad would use military if needed on US soil to enforce it laws.
1807 Insurrection Act is passed
President Thomas Jefferson signed the Insurrection Act into law after Congress formalized the principle established by Washington 15 years earlier.
It authorized president to use US army an Army and Navy at time to suppress insurrection and rebellions and enforce federal law when and where it was being obstructed.
The Insurrection Act allowed the President to act unilaterally to federalize the militia of any state and use the armed forces and deploy them in reply to request by governors or state legislatures.
Jefferson did not reply to efforts by vice president in his first term,
Aaron Bur to muster a private army and seize land in Southwest after duel with Alexander Hamilton ruined his political career.
1861 The Civil War
President Abraham Lincoln invoked the insurrection Act on April 15 1861 to call up 75000 milita troops follwing secession of 11 Southern states and the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter in South California Charleston Harbor.
His attempt to suppress the rebellion and restor federal authortiy marked the start of Civil War.
Lincoln became longest use of Presidential military power on US soil in history as Union and Confederate forces clashed in fight that tested limits of executive power.
The Insurrection Act
1894-1921 Pullman Strike and other labor union battles
President Grover Cleveland deployed federal army to Illinois over governor objectiosn to break the Pullman railway strike that he said was interfering with intestate commerce and mail delivery.
In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson invoked the insurrection act to fight Colorado labor uprising and President Warren Harding invoked it in 1921 to quell a labor uprising by coal miners in West Virginia.
1871-1875 Ku Klux Klan Terrorism in South.
In post Civil War Recustruction era President Ulysses S Grant invoked the Insurrection Act and established related laws multiple times to battle widespread white supermacist terrorism targeting Black people and their newfound civil and political rights.
On Oct 17 1871 Grant sent federal army into South Carolina to suppress Ku Klux Klan violenc using new Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871.
Which permitted him to suspend habeas corpus to fight domestic terror organization.
Grant troops arrested hundred of Klansmen effectively dismantling organization.
He later invented in Louisian Arkansas and then in South Carolina in run up to 1876 election to quell violence by white supermacist group famous as rifle clubs.
