ON THIS DAY IN UNITED STATES HISTORY Jun 2, 1855
The Portland Rum Riot Occurs
On this day in 1855, the Portland Rum Riot (also called the Maine Law Riot) occurred when a law was passed the year before prohibiting the sale and manufacture of alcohol in Maine. On June 2, a crowd of between 1,000 and 3,000 gathered and rock throwing and shoving began. Eventually a militia fired into the crowd. One man was injured and seven others were wounded.
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