by Lawrence Kadish
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| Because we are a nation too often adrift from our own history, we do not know, or appreciate, that the United States has historically deployed military forces when the freedom of speech has metastasized into riots and street violence. Pictured: An armed man in St. Paul, Minnesota protests against the presence of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the city, on January 18, 2026. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) |
Today's urban tour guides often pause before the stunning castle-like architecture of America's armories, those turn-of-the-last-century landmarks in many of our nation's cities. Once used as the home for local National Guard regiments, they remain dramatically impressive, becoming a new home to passing conventions and exhibits, theatrical productions, and even indoor motor sports.
What is left untold is that these buildings were carefully sited in the center of key locations in those cities for the specific purpose of confronting the political street violence that was prevalent during that era.
While President Donald Trump has recently pulled back from his intent to invoke the Insurrection Act that would send military forces into Minneapolis to confront a situation that threatened to cede control of the streets to a mob, the role of the military in America's urban centers can be found in every one of those "quaint" historic armories.
At the turn of the 19th century, domestic unrest was chronic in many of our cities, with New York in particular a hotbed. Riots and street brawls reflected the tension in our American society as we painfully transformed into an industrialized nation where class distinction had become a flashpoint.
Military forces were deployed when the local police force found themselves outmanned, outgunned, and outfought. The "Gilded Age" had become a battleground, and these armories allowed National Guard troops to gather, deploy, and confront the rioters.
Their efforts did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Historians point to an 1877 issue of Harper's Weekly, where their editors wrote to praise the troops in New York City as "the flower of American citizen soldiery... have by their attitude and conduct earned the grateful respect of all good citizens everywhere in the country."
Because we are a nation too often adrift from our own history, we do not know, or appreciate, that the United States has historically deployed military forces when the freedom of speech has metastasized into riots and street violence.
As you pause within the shadow of those historic armories that still stand in so many of our communities, appreciate that they once served as bulwarks against chaos and those who would allow mob rule to dismantle the rule of law. It is a legacy not lost on the president.
Lawrence Kadish serves on the Board of Governors of Gatestone Institute.
Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22210/insurrection-act
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