Cincinnati Riots of 1884

Date: March 27, 1884 • Location: Covington, United States

This milestone marked the outbreak and beginning of this historic period, which spanned 1884.

Outraged by a jury's decision to convict a man of manslaughter instead of murder, a mob in Cincinnati, Ohio, began three days of rioting.

Manslaughter is a term in common law for homicide considered less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th century BC.