Protest Nation!

It was a gray January Saturday in Washington, D.C., but nobody was resting. Just one day after Donald Trump had been inaugurated as president, the streets were jammed with people participating in the Women’s March. 

Near the U.S. Capitol, they cheered speeches defending the rights of women and people of color—who they believed the incoming president had shown disrespect for during his campaign. Then, as if to make sure Trump heard them, many of them marched to the gates of the White House.

The crowd in Washington was estimated to have been at least half a million people. Including the participants of more than 600 other “sister marches” around the country, the Women’s March was likely the largest single-day demonstration ever held in the United States.

The gathering was part of “a long and proud history” of protest in the U.S., says David Meyer of the University of California, Irvine. It all goes back, he says, to the first major American protest, the Boston Tea Party. 

In December 1773, groups of American colonists boarded three British ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. That act of defiance was part of a struggle over taxation and control by Great Britain. It also set the stage for a larger conflict: the fight for independence from Britain in the American Revolution (1775-1783).

“Protests seize [the country’s] attention and force figures like presidents to respond to them,” Meyer says. The tradition is protected in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution as “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government.” For the nation’s Founders, who had led the country from resistance to independence, Meyer says, this was a sign of how much they valued dissent.

Indeed, says Meyer, “America was born from protest.”

It was a gray January Saturday in Washington, D.C. But nobody was resting. Donald Trump had been inaugurated as president the day before. And the streets were jammed with people participating in the Women’s March.

The participants cheered speeches defending the rights of women and people of color. They believed the incoming president had shown disrespect toward these groups during his campaign. Many of them marched to the gates of the White House. It was as if they were trying to make sure Trump heard them.

The crowd in Washington was estimated to have been at least half a million people. Thousands of others took part in more than 600 other “sister marches” around the country. In all, the Women’s March was likely the largest single-day demonstration ever held in the United States.

The gathering was part of “a long and proud history” of protest in the U.S., says David Meyer. He is a professor at the University of California, Irvine. It all goes back to the first major American protest, the Boston Tea Party.

In December 1773, groups of American colonists boarded three British ships. They dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. That act of defiance was part of a struggle over taxation and control by Great Britain. It also set the stage for the fight for independence from Britain in the American Revolution (1775-1783).

“Protests seize [the country’s] attention and force figures like presidents to respond to them,” Meyer says. The tradition is protected in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution as “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government.” For the nation’s Founders, this was a sign of how much they valued dissent.

Indeed, says Meyer, “America was born from protest.”

Many of the most influential American protests have been marches, like the Women’s March. Often, they have taken place in Washington. 

A 1913 rally in the nation’s capital for women’s suffrage, for example, was a key step in securing the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. The 1963 March on Washington, a defining moment of the civil rights movement, helped secure passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That landmark act outlawed racial discrimination in voting, in schools, and in the workplace.

Yet there are other effective forms of protest as well. During the long campaign for equality for Black Americans, great progress was made through many small acts of civil disobedience throughout the South. Methods such as boycotts of segregated buses and sit-ins at whites-only lunch counters helped end many discriminatory laws and practices.

As the barriers of segregation fell, the movement proved that protest could change society. It also created “a powerful narrative” of “protesters as patriotic [and] engaged in a just struggle,” says Simon Hall of Leeds University in the United Kingdom. 

Many of the most influential American protests have been marches. The Women's March is an example. These protests have often taken place in Washington.

A 1913 rally in the nation’s capital for women’s suffrage was a key step in securing the 19th Amendment. That amendment granted women the right to vote. The 1963 March on Washington was a defining moment of the civil rights movement. It helped secure passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That landmark act banned racial discrimination in voting, in schools, and in the workplace.

Yet there are other effective forms of protest as well. During the long campaign for equality for Black Americans, great progress was made through many small acts of civil disobedience throughout the South. Methods such as boycotts of segregated buses and sit-ins at whites-only lunch counters helped end many discriminatory laws and practices.

As the barriers of segregation fell, the movement proved that protest could change society. It also created “a powerful narrative” of “protesters as patriotic [and] engaged in a just struggle,” says Simon Hall. He is a professor at Leeds University in the United Kingdom. 

In the mid-1960s, U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War (1954-1975) and a military draft ignited a new wave of resistance among some Americans, particularly young people. They believed the nation was needlessly fighting in another country’s civil war, and that U.S. arms made the conflict more destructive and tragic.  

Inspired by civil rights campaigns, antiwar activists engaged in different forms of protest, including sit-ins at universities and the burning of draft cards (notices that a young man was eligible for military service). Marches were crucial as well. On a single day—October 15, 1969—about 2 million people rallied across the country to oppose the war. Historians say that the protests were a major reason for the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam in 1975.

In the mid-1960s, U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War (1954-1975) and a military draft fueled a new wave of resistance among some Americans, particularly young people. They believed the nation was needlessly fighting in another country’s civil war.

Antiwar activists were inspired by civil rights protests. They engaged in sit-ins at universities and burned draft cards. (Those were notices that a young man was eligible for military service.)

Marches were crucial as well. On October 15, 1969, about 2 million people rallied across the country to oppose the war. Historians say the protests were a major reason for the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam in 1975.

Conservatives have also used protest as a tool to bring about change. In 2009, following the inauguration of President Barack Obama, groups of concerned citizens began showing up at town hall meetings. Many objected to the proposed Affordable Care Act (also called Obamacare), which they believed would burden them with higher taxes and health-care costs. The spontaneous protests were also an expression of long-held grievances over gun rights, undocumented immigrants, and the government’s expanding role in Americans’ lives.

This new movement soon called itself the Tea Party, a tribute to the original American protest against government control. It was especially successful, say experts, because Tea Partiers didn’t just demonstrate. They also got involved in their communities and elected members of Congress. Experts believe that the dissent the Tea Partiers stirred up among conservatives contributed to President Trump’s election last year.

Conservatives have also used protest as a tool to bring about change. Following the inauguration of President Barack Obama in 2009, groups of concerned citizens began showing up at town hall meetings. Many objected to the proposed Affordable Care Act (also called Obamacare). They believed it would burden them with higher taxes and health-care costs. The spontaneous protests were also an expression of long-held complaints over gun rights, undocumented immigrants, and the government’s expanding role in Americans’ lives.

This new movement soon called itself the Tea Party. The name was a tribute to the original American protest against government control, the Boston Tea Party. Experts say the movement was especially successful because Tea Partiers didn’t just demonstrate. They also got involved in their communities and elected members of Congress. Experts believe that the dissent the Tea Partiers stirred up among conservatives contributed to President Trump’s election last year.

Today, experts say, we may be in the most active time for protest since the 1960s. Meyer believes a new surge of resistance began in 2011 with the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York City. That started as an outcry against economic inequality in the U.S., in which thousands sat in for months near Wall Street, a symbol of banking and wealth. The movement also spread to other cities, energizing a new generation of young activists. 

Protest gained more momentum with Black Lives Matter, which started in 2013 to address racial discrimination in the criminal justice system. That movement has continued to grow in response to high-profile shootings of African Americans by police. 

Trump’s election last year has only intensified protest. Many liberals believe the president’s policies threaten civil liberties, individual rights that are protected against government interference. Trump’s supporters think that he will bring jobs and pride back to working people. Both sides have demonstrated to show their point of view. 

“There are plenty of signs that we might be entering a tumultuous political era,” Hall says. 

Just since January, scores of protests have opposed Trump’s attempts to ban travel from some Muslim-majority nations and defended immigrants’ rights. Meanwhile, conservatives have held pro-Trump rallies and town hall meetings seeking to pressure lawmakers to repeal Obamacare.  

No one knows what exactly will result from this moment in history. But one thing is certain, Meyer says: Americans are not about to stop reaching back to the spirit of the Boston Tea Party to try to shape the future of the nation. 

“Protest is what we started with,” Meyer says. “It is an essential thing” for our democracy.

Today, experts say, may be the most active time for protest since the 1960s. Meyer believes a new surge of resistance began in 2011 with the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York City. That started as an outcry against economic inequality in the U.S. Thousands sat-in for months near Wall Street. This location is a symbol of banking and wealth. The movement also spread to other cities. It energized a new generation of young activists.

Protest gained more drive with Black Lives Matter. This movement started in 2013 to address racial discrimination in the criminal justice system. Black Lives Matter has continued to grow in response to high-profile shootings of African Americans by police.

Trump’s election last year has led to an increase in protests. Many liberals believe the president’s policies threaten civil liberties. Those are individual rights that are protected against government interference. Trump’s supporters think that he will bring jobs and pride back to working people. Both sides have demonstrated to show their point of view.

“There are plenty of signs that we might be entering a tumultuous political era,” Hall says.

Just since January, protesters have opposed Trump’s attempts to ban travel from some Muslim-majority nations and defended immigrants’ rights. Meanwhile, conservatives have held pro-Trump rallies and town hall meetings. They are seeking to pressure lawmakers to repeal Obamacare. 

No one knows what exactly will result from this moment in history. But one thing is certain, Meyer says. Americans are not about to stop reaching back to the spirit of the Boston Tea Party to try to shape the future of the nation.

“Protest is what we started with,” Meyer says. “It is an essential thing” for our democracy.