When Troops Policed American Cities

In recent weeks, the Trump Administration has ordered National Guard troops into Los Angeles and Washington, D.C , to combat violent crime and support the government’s stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws. Hailing the purported success of these missions, the president has promised to occupy Chicago ; New Orleans ; Memphis ; Portland, Ore.; and other American cities in similar fashion.

There is a long history of using the military to police American cities. After the Civil War, for example, Union soldiers occupied the former Confederacy for more than a decade. In the 20th century, presidents from Dwight Eisenhower to George H.W. Bush deployed armed forces to enforce civil rights laws and respond to urban riots. Yet, the historical episode that most resembles the curre