List of massacres in the United States explained

This is a partial list of massacres in the United States; death tolls may be approximate.

List

NameDateLocationStatedata-sort-type="number" style="width:75px;"Deaths, including any perpetratorsNotes
Boston Massacre1770 Mar 5BostonMassachusetts55 Bostonians killed and 6 wounded by soldiers of the 29th Regiment of Foot. The killed and wounded were part of a mob which was harassing the soldiers, and the soldiers opened fire after being stoned by the crowd.[1] [2]
Baylor Massacre1778 September 27River ValeNew Jersey16A force of British soldiers under the command of Major-General Charles Grey carried a successful surprise attack against the 3rd Regiment of Continental Light Dragoons under the command of Colonel George Baylor while they slept.
Gnadenhutten massacre1782 Mar 8GnadenhuttenOhio96Christian Lenape who were massacred by American militiamen during the Revolutionary War
Goliad massacre1836 Mar 27GoliadTexas425–445Largest massacre to have taken place on what is today United States territory, occurring after the Battle of Refugio and the Battle of Coleto; 425–445 prisoners of war from the Texian Army of the Republic of Texas were executed by the Mexican Army in the town of Goliad, Mexican Texas, (not the Republic of Texas), which is today in Texas, United States.
Hawn's Mill massacre1838 Oct 30Fairview TownshipMissouri19Mob/Missouri Volunteer Militia attacked Mormons.[3]
Dawson massacre1842 Sep 17Presidio San Antonio de BéxarTexas6636 of the Texan militia killed by Mexican soldiers during the Woll Expedition.[4] 30 Mexican soldiers were also killed.[5]
Black Bean Episode1843 March 25 SaladoTexas17Mexican soldiers under Francisco Mexia, governor of Coahuila executed 17 from a group of 176 prisoners, Texans captured in Mexico. He had been ordered to execute all of them, but instead chose to "decimate" them, killing one of every ten.[6]
Bloody Monday1855 Aug 6LouisvilleKentuckydata-sort-value="22">22Scores injured in anti-Catholic religious mob violence and arson.[7]
Pottawatomie massacre1856 May 24–25Franklin CountyKansas5John Brown and followers killed 5 pro-slavery settlers during the Bleeding Kansas period.[8] [9]
Spirit Lake Massacre1857 Mar 5–12West OkobojiIowa35–40A band of Dakota people led by Inkpaduta conducted a series of raids on white settlers.
Mountain Meadows Massacre1857 Sep 7–11Mountain MeadowsUtah Territory100–140Emigrant wagon train annihilated by the Mormon Utah Territorial Militia.
Marais des Cygnes massacre1858 May 19Linn CountyKansas5Last major outbreak of violence in Bleeding Kansas.[10]
Pratt Street Massacre1861 Apr 19BaltimoreMaryland16Political riot between Copperheads, Confederate sympathizers, and Union militias.
Sacking of Osceola1861 Sep 23OsceolaMissouri9 Tried by drumhead court martial and executed, town of 3,000 sacked and burned in a raid by Jim Lane's Kansas Brigade.[11]
Nueces massacre1862 Aug 10Kinney CountyTexas34German Texans killed by Confederate soldiers.
Shelton Laurel massacre1863 Jan 18North Carolina13Unarmed Unionists, including three boys, were shot by Confederates after capture.[12]
Lawrence massacre1863 Aug 21Douglas CountyKansas185–200Pro-Confederate Guerrillas killed civilians and burned a quarter of the town.[13]
Baxter Springs Massacre1863 Oct 6Cherokee CountyKansas115Convoy of Union soldiers led by James B. Pond who were ambushed by Confederate raiders under the command of William C. Quantrill. Many of the convoy were massacred as they tried to surrender.
Fort Pillow massacre1864 Apr 12HenningTennessee277–297Black Union troops were killed by Forrest's Cavalry Corps while trying to surrender.
Centralia massacre1864 Sep 27CentraliaMissouri24 Unarmed U.S. soldiers murdered by their Confederate captors including Jesse James. 123 killed in ensuing Battle of Centralia.[14]
Saltville massacre1864 Oct 2–3SaltvilleVirginia45–50Wounded/captured Federal black troops by Confederate soldiers and guerrillas.[15]
Opelousas Massacre1868 Sep 28OpelousasLouisiana35+African Americans from Opelousas attempted to join the local Democratic party which was controlled by whites. The African Americans were rejected for membership and the white Democrats then subsequently went on a hunt for African Americans. In the end an estimated 200–300 African Americans were killed.[16] [17]
Chinese massacre1871 Oct 24Los Angeles, CaliforniaCaliforniadata-sort-value="18">18Killed by hanging and unknown injured in mob violence against people and property in Chinatown.[18] [19]
Goingsnake massacre1872 Apr 15TahlequahIndian Territory (present-day Oklahoma)11Died in a shoot out in a crowded courtroom, the dead included 8 Deputy US Marshals and 3 Cherokee citizens. Six Cherokee were wounded including the defendant and the judge.[20]
Colfax massacre1873 Apr 13ColfaxLouisiana83–153Black people killed at courthouse and as prisoners afterwards.[21]
Coushatta massacre1874 AugCoushattaLouisiana11–26Six whites, remainder black killed as political intimidation.[22] [23]
Election riot of 18741874 Nov 3EufaulaAlabama870 injured. White League Democrats drove African American Republicans from the polls.
Hamburg massacre1876 Jul 4HamburgSouth Carolina7Town looted in a racially motivated incident during Reconstruction.
Ellenton massacre1876 Sep 15-16Aiken CountySouth Carolina25–100Racially motivated killings after the alleged attack on a white woman.
Guadalupe Canyon massacre1881 Aug 13Guadalupe MountainsArizona Territory51 wounded; cowboys ambushed while sleeping. Perpetrators disputed.[24]
Rock Springs massacre1885 Sep 2Rock SpringsWyoming2815 injured in a racial dispute between white and Chinese miners.
Haymarket affair1886 May 4ChicagoIllinois11More than 130 injured by dynamite bomb and crossfire of bullets during a FOTLU rally for an eight-hour work day.[25]
Bay View massacre1886 May 5Bay ViewWisconsin7Knights of Labor protesters killed by National Guardsmen.
Chinese Massacre Cove1887 MayWallowa CountyOregon10–34Chinese gold miners ambushed and murdered by a gang of horse thieves.
Thibodaux massacre1887 Nov 22ThibodauxLouisianadata-sort-value="35">35Perhaps as many as 300 killed, 5+ injuries to striking black sugar-cane workers.[26] [27]
Lattimer massacre1897 Sep 10LattimerPennsylvania19Coal miners killed by sheriff's posse.
Wilmington Massacre of 18981898 Nov 10WilmingtonNorth Carolina60–300A mob of 2000 white men armed from the looted Wilmington armory, led by white supremacist and Democratic politician Alfred Moore Waddell[28] burnt down The Daily Record newspaper building, destroyed numerous black-owned properties, and murdered somewhere between 60 and 300 Black residents of Wilmington.[29]
The 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre1906 Sep 22 -24AtlantaGeorgia27+Racially motivated massacre against African Americans.
Villisca massacre1912 Jun 10VilliscaIowa8 Unsolved axe murders of members of 2 families.[30] [31] [32]
Ludlow Massacre1914 Apr 20LudlowColorado19Killed by Colorado National Guard and Colorado Fuel & Iron Company camp guards on a tent colony of 1,200 striking coal miners and their families.
Everett massacre1916 Nov 5EverettWashington527 injured and scores of IWW unionists arrested by police and vigilantes.
Elaine massacre1919 Sep 30Phillips CountyArkansas100–241Racially motivated massacre against African Americans.
Centralia massacre1919 Nov 11CentraliaWashington6American Legionnaires killed by Industrial Workers of the World members.
Matewan massacre1920 May 19MatewanWest Virginia11The confrontation resulted in the deaths of Matewan Mayor Cabell Testerman, two striking coal miners, seven men from the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency, and an unarmed bystander.
Ocoee massacre1920 Nov 2OcoeeFlorida56~Black population of Ocoee, a town near Orlando, was nearly obliterated during the 1920 election season.[33]
Tulsa race massacre1921 May 31 and Jun 1TulsaOklahoma39–300≥ 800 wounded. One of the nation's worst incidents of racial violence.
Battle of Blair Mountain1921 Aug 25Logan CountyWest Virginia10–33Private army and US Troops against union organizers. WWI gas bombs used against union organizers.
Herrin massacre1922 Jun 21HerrinIllinois23Exchange of gunfire between strikebreakers and union guards at coal mine.[34]
Rosewood massacre1923 JanRosewoodFlorida8The entire population of African-Americans in and near Rosewood, about 350, were forced from their homes and never returned.[35]
Hanapepe massacre1924 Sep 9HanapepeHawaii20101 arrested.[36]
Bath School disaster1927 May 18Bath TownshipMichigan45School Bombing
Columbine Mine massacre1927 Nov 21SereneColorado6Miners killed with machine guns by the Colorado Rangers and the Rocky Mountain Fuel Company during a United Mine Workers coal mine strike.[37]
Saint Valentine's Day Massacre1929 Feb 14ChicagoIllinois7Prohibition gang killing in Lincoln Park by Al Capone's Chicago Outfit.[38]
Kansas City massacre1933 Jun 17Kansas CityMissouri5The dead include law enforcement officers and a criminal fugitive shot by members of a gang.[39]
Utah prisoner of war massacre1945 Jul 7–8Salina, UtahUtah9German POWs killed by an American guard
Camden shootings1949 Sep 6CamdenNew Jersey13Included three children in a 12-minute walk through his neighbourhood.
University of Texas tower Shooting1966 Aug 1AustinTexas18 including the shooter31 others wounded.
Kent State shootings1970 May 4KentOhio4Ohio National Guard opened fire on unarmed student protesters at Kent State University.
Easter Sunday Massacre1975 Mar 30HamiltonOhio11All victims were family members of the killer shot and killed by pistols at a family gathering.
Golden Dragon massacre1977 Sep 4San FranciscoCalifornia511 injured. Hong Kong American street gang the Joe Boys committed violent shooting[40]
Greensboro massacre1979 Nov 3GreensboroNorth Carolina5Violent clash between Ku Klux Klan and Communist Workers' Party demonstration.
1982 Wilkes-Barre shootings1982 Sep 25Wilkes-Barre and Jenkins TownshipPennsylvania131 wounded
Wah Mee massacre1983 Feb 18SeattleWashington131 injured by 3 perpetrators during an armed robbery.
Palm Sunday massacre1984 Apr 15BrooklynNew York10Three women, a teenage girl, and six children. There was one survivor, an infant girl.
San Ysidro McDonald's massacre1984 Jul 18San YsidroCalifornia22 including the gunman19 others wounded
1985 MOVE bombing1985 May 136221 Osage Ave, PhiladelphiaPennsylvania11Philadelphia, Mayor Wilson Goode orders police to storm the radical black American resistance group MOVE's headquarters to end a stand-off. The police drop an explosive device into the headquarters, killing eleven members of MOVE and destroying the homes of 61 city residents in the resulting fire
Edmond post office shooting1986 Aug 20EdmondOklahoma15 including the gunman6 wounded. This incident is the origin of the phrase 'going postal'.
Las Cruces bowling alley massacre1990 Feb 10Las CrucesNew Mexico5Robbers, who remain unidentified, shot seven people, including one employee's 2-year-old daughter, in the bowling alley's office after taking $4–5,000 from the safe. Four died that day; another succumbed to complications of her injuries in 1999.[41]
GMAC shootings1990 Jun 18JacksonvilleFlorida10 including the gunmanThe attacker began killing the day before killing 2 others. He wounded a total of 6 people over the 2 days.
Luby's shooting1991 Oct 16KilleenTexas24 including the gunman27 others were wounded although only 19 of those were from gunfire.
Brown's Chicken massacre1993 Jan 8PalatineIllinois7Store robbery with murder.
Waco siege1993 Feb 28 – Apr 19WacoTexas864 ATF agents and 6 Branch Davidians killed in a shoot out February 28; on April 19 a final assault on the compound by the FBI occurred. A fire destroyed the compound resulting in the deaths of 76 Branch Davidians, including 25 children. The fire started following law enforcement deployment of flammable CS gas. A panel of arson investigators concluded that the Davidians were responsible for igniting the fire simultaneously in at least three different areas of the compound.[42]
Long Island Rail Road shooting1993 Dec 7Garden CityNew York619 Injured
Oklahoma City bombing1995 April 19Oklahoma CityOklahoma168680 others injured, and destroyed more than one-third of the building, which had to be demolished.
Freddy's Fashion Mart attack1995 Dec 8HarlemNew York8 including the gunman[43]
Columbine High School massacre1999 Apr 20ColumbineColorado15 including both gunmen24 others were wounded, 21 of those by gunfire.
1999 Atlanta day trading firm shootings1999 Jul 29AtlantaGeorgia10 including the gunmanHe also killed his wife on the 27th, his 2 children on the 28th then the main attack occurred on the 29th where he killed 9 victims and wounded 13 others.
Wichita Massacre2000 Dec 8–14WichitaKansas5Two brothers Reginald and Jonathan Carr, committed multiple acts of assault, robbery, rape and murder of several people, all white, over the course of a week.[44]
Red Lake shootings2005 Mar 21Red LakeMinnesota10 including the gunman5 wounded.
Virginia Tech shooting2007 Apr 16BlacksburgVirginia33 including the gunman23 Wounded, 17 by gunfire.
Westroads Mall shooting2007 Dec 5OmahaNebraska96 injured; perpetrator committed suicide with the murder weapon after 6 minutes of shooting.
Geneva County shootings2009 Mar 10Geneva and SamsonAlabama11 including the gunman6 wounded.
Binghamton shooting2009 Apr 3BinghamtonNew York14 including the gunman4 wounded.
Fort Hood shooting2009 Nov 5Fort HoodTexas13 30+ wounded by Nidal Hasan, it was the deadliest mass shooting on an American military base.
Aurora shooting2012 Jul 20AuroraColorado1270 people were wounded, 58 from gunfire, 4 from tear gas, and 8 from injuries sustained fleeing from shooting during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises.
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting2012 Dec 14NewtownConnecticut28 including the gunman27 at the school (including the gunman) and the attacker's mother at her home. 20 of the dead were children aged 6–7 years old.
Washington Navy Yard shooting2013 Sep 16Washington Navy YardWashington D.C.13 including the gunman8 wounded, 3 from gunfire.
2014 Isla Vista killings2014 May 23Isla VistaCalifornia7 including the gunman14 wounded. Misogynist terrorism, revenge for sexual and social rejection, incel ideology
Charleston church shooting2015 Jun 17CharlestonSouth Carolina91 wounded. White supremacist shooting at African Methodist Episcopal Bible study
Broken Arrow killings2015 Jul 22Oklahoma51 wounded. Two brothers kill their family in preparation for a Mass shooting plot which they hoped would acquire them notoriety and infamy
Umpqua Community College shooting2015 Oct 1RoseburgOregon10 including the gunman8 wounded.
San Bernardino attack2015 Dec 2San BernardinoCalifornia16 including both gunmen24 wounded. Attackers brought pipe bombs as well as firearms, they targeted a San Bernardino County Department of Public Health training event and Christmas party.
Orlando nightclub shooting2016 Jun 12OrlandoFlorida50 including the gunman
Las Vegas shooting2017 Oct 1Las VegasNevada61 including the gunman867 wounded, 411 from gunfire. Deadliest mass shooting in US history.
Sutherland Springs church shooting2017 Nov 5Sutherland SpringsTexas26 including the gunman 20 wounded and an unborn child not counted in the 26 dead was also lost.
Stoneman Douglas High School shooting2018 Feb 14ParklandFlorida1717 killed; 17 wounded.
2018 Santa Fe High School shooting2018 May 18Santa FeTexas1014 wounded, including the suspect.
Pittsburgh synagogue shooting2018 Oct 27PittsburghPennsylvania117 wounded, including the suspect. Anti-Semitic shooting at a synagogue.
2022 Buffalo shooting2022 May 14BuffaloNew York10Mass shooting against African-American shoppers at a Tops Friendly Markets. Suspect said motive was to prevent others from 'eliminating the white race'
Robb Elementary School shooting2022 May 24UvaldeTexas22One of the deadliest school shootings in American history,[45] leaving 19 children and 2 adults dead. The perpetrator was killed in a shootout with police.[46]
2023 Goshen shooting2023 January 16GoshenCalifornia6Gang violence. Three others survived the shooting uninjured

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. Book: A Fair Account of the Late Unhappy Disturbance at Boston. 3. B. White. 1770. 535966548. London. 9780665204395 . Original printing of the governor's account.
  2. Historical Dictionary of American Propaganda. Martin J. Manning, p. 33
  3. Baugh . Alexander L. . Alexander L. Baugh . Spring 2010 . Jacob Hawn and the Hawn's Mill Massacre: Missouri millwright and Oregon pioneer . . . 11 . 1 . 722375475 .
  4. Web site: The Mier Expedition by George Lord . September 12, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101205165203/http://www.tamu.edu/ccbn/dewitt/mierlord.htm . December 5, 2010 . dead .
  5. Web site: TSHA Dawson Massacre . 2023-05-19 . www.tshaonline.org.
  6. https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/mier#:~:text=On%20March%2025%2C%201843%2C%20in,Perote%20Castle%20in%20Vera%20Cruz. Open access
  7. Hutcheon, Wallace S., Jr., The Louisville Riots of August 1855. Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, 69 (1971), pp. 150–172
  8. [Public Broadcasting Service|PBS Online]
  9. Reynolds, David S. John Brown, Abolitionist: The Man Who Killed Slavery, Sparked the Civil War, and Seeded Civil Rights. New York: Vintage, 2005. .
  10. Kansas Historical Society. Marais des Cygnes Massacre site, June 2011, accessdate December 28, 2012.
  11. Sunderwith, Richard, The Burning of Osceola, Missouri
  12. Paludan, Philip S. 1981. Victims: A True Story of the Civil War. Knoxville, Tennessee, The University of Tennessee Press. p. 144.
  13. Goodrich, Thomas. Bloody Dawn: The Story of the Lawrence Massacre. Kent State University Press December 12, 1992. 978-0873384766. 207 pages.
  14. Quantrell, Charles W., A History of His Guerrilla Warfare on the Missouri And Kansas Border During the Civil War, Kessinger Publishing, March 1, 2005, pp. 175–176.
  15. Web site: "Was there a Saltville Massacre in 1864?" David Brown's analysis. https://archive.today/20121219221312/http://home.comcast.net/~5thuscc/massacr.htm. dead. December 19, 2012.
  16. Book: Christensen. Matthew. The 1868 St. Landry Massacre: Reconstruction' s Deadliest Episode of Violence. May 1, 2012. University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. 61–62. May 30, 2020.
  17. News: The Deadliest Massacre in Reconstruction-Era Louisiana Happened 150 Years Ago. Boissoneault. Lorraine. September 28, 2018. Smithsonian. May 30, 2020.
  18. Zesch, Scott, "Chinese Los Angeles in 1870–1871: The Makings of a Massacre", Southern California Quarterly, 90 (Summer 2008), 109–158
  19. De Falla, Paul M., "Lantern in the Western Sky", The Historical Society of Southern California Quarterly, 42 (March 1960), 57–88 (Part I), and 42 (June 1960), 161–185 (Part II)
  20. Smith, Robert Barr, Blood Bath at Going Snake: The Cherokee Courtroom Shootout, 2004. Wild West, History Net
  21. Lane, Charles, The Day Freedom Died: The Colfax Massacre, the Supreme Court, and the Betrayal of Reconstruction, Henry Holt & Company, New York. 2008. pp. 54–56
  22. Alexander, Danielle "Forty Acres and a Mule: The Ruined Hope of Reconstruction", Humanities, January/February 2004, Vol.25/No. 1., accessdate April 14, 2008
  23. [Jimmy G. Shoalmire|Shoalmire, Jimmy G.]
  24. Traywick, Ben T., Wyatt Earp's Thirteen Dead Men: Chapter 6, The Tombstone News, accessdate December 26, 2012.
  25. Web site: Lists of National Historic Landmarks . https://web.archive.org/web/20080709054740/http://www.nps.gov/nhl/designations/listsofNHLs.htm . July 9, 2008 . January 19, 2008 . March 2004 . . .
  26. Bell, Ellen Baker, Thibodaux Massacre (1887), KnowLA Encyclopedia of Louisiana, September 15, 2011, accessdate January 2, 2013
  27. Rodrigue, John. Reconstruction in the Cane Fields: From Slavery to Free Labor in Louisiana’s Sugar Parishes, 1862–1880. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2001.
  28. Web site: McCoury . Kent . Alfred Moore Waddell (1834–1912) . North Carolina History Project . . September 18, 2021.
  29. News: Tyson. Timothy B.. The Ghosts of 1898. November 17, 2006. The News & Observer.
  30. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1917/09/02/96264124.pdf PDF He said he killed eight at God's command: Iowa preacher studying sermon on 'slay utterly' when impulse to slay seized him.
  31. http://iagenweb.org/boards/montgomery/documents/index.cgi?read=114416 Villisca Axe Murders, 1912
  32. Carlson, Mark, 100 Years After Iowa Ax Murders, Case Remains Unsolved KCRG ABC, accessdate December 28, 2012.
  33. Go Ahead On, Ocoee – A narrative documentary film by Bianca White & Sandra Krasa.
  34. Paul M. Angle, Bloody Williamson: A Chapter in American Lawlessness, University of Illinois Press, 1992, page 294
  35. [Michael D'Orso|D'Orso, Michael]
  36. Book: Chapin, Helen Geracimos. Shaping History: The Role of Newspapers in Hawai'i . 1996. University of Hawaii Press . 978-0-8248-1718-3 . 131–138. Suppressing the News and Contributing to a Massacre.
  37. Book: Myers. Richard . Eric . Margolis . Joanna . Sampson . Phil . Goodstein . Lowell . May. 2005. Slaughter in Serene: the Columbine Coal Strike Reader. Bread and Roses Workers' Cultural Center & Industrial Workers of the World . 978-0-917124-01-3 .
  38. Taylor, Troy 2008. Blood, Roses and Valentines: The haunted history of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, accessdate December 27, 2012
  39. Web site: FBI story of the Kansas City Massacre. https://web.archive.org/web/20091027153907/http://geocities.com/Nashville/3448/pretty.html. dead. October 27, 2009.
  40. Mullen, Kevin J., Chinatown Squad: Policing the Dragon from the Gold Rush to the 21st Century978-0926664104 – 208 pages Noir Publications, September 1, 2008.
  41. News: López . Carlos Andres . 'Bowling Alley Massacre' case remains unsolved . . en . February 9, 2016.
  42. Web site: December 26, 1996 . Waco: The Inside Story . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240324131631/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/waco/topten2.html . March 24, 2024 . March 24, 2024 . PBS.
  43. News: December 9, 1995 . 8 Die as Gunman Sets Afire N.Y. Store Tied to Dispute . Los Angeles Times .
  44. Crime Library. The Wichita Horror, accessdate October 25, 2014.
  45. Web site: 2022-05-25 . Gunman kills 19 children, 2 adults in Texas school rampage . 2022-05-29 . AP NEWS . en.
  46. Web site: 2022-05-25 . US reels after massacre in fourth-grade classroom leaves 21 dead . 2022-05-29 . the Guardian . en.

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