History of Protests in America
The right to peacefully assemble is in the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Throughout history, protests have ignited change in pivotal moments in history.
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1688: Germantown Quaker petition against slavery
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1773: The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party protested Britain's policies of "taxation without representation." The Boston Tea Party highlighted the anger and frustration the colonists felt over Britain’s tyrannical control. It was one of the earliest political protests in the country, inspiring American patriots to recruit rebels across the 13 colonies and begin the American Revolution. By 1776, colonies declared their independence from Britain.
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1791: The Whiskey Rebellion
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1848: The Seneca Falls Convention
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1863: New York City draft riots
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1874: The Women’s Crusade
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1886: Haymarket Affair
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1892: Homestead Strike
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1894: Pullman Strike
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1902: Coal Strike
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1911: Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Protests
146 workers were killed by a fire in an unsafe factory. At the time, workers often dealt with extremely hazardous working conditions. The tragedy prompted a march on New York's Fifth Avenue of nearly 80,000 people. This march helped to pass new laws to ensure workplace safety and helped the growing union movement. This eventually led to laws that we still use today, like the minimum wage requirement and the right to collectively bargain as a union.
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1913: Women's Suffrage Parade
Women marched for their right to vote in the Women's Suffrage Parade. The parade drew thousands of women, and by 1920, white women gained the right to vote.
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1914: Ludlow Massacre
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1932: Bonus Army march
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1955: The Montgomery bus boycott
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1960: The Greensboro sit-in
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1963: March On Washington for Jobs and Freedom
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom attracted over 250,000 protestors to end systemic racism and inequality. This is where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. This protest pressured President John F. Kennedy, and by 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed, and by 1965, so was the Voting Rights Act. These laws outlawed segregation in public places and discrimination in voting and employment.
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1965: Selma to Montgomery march
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1966: Compton’s Cafeteria Riot
This is now known as the first LGBT uprising in American history. For years, the San Francisco Police Department abused and victimized transgender women and drag queens. It was also a crime to cross-dress at the time. In 1968, advocates created the National Transsexual Counseling Unit (NTCU) to provide transgender social services. Over time, the police brutality toward the community decreased, and the cross-dressing ordinance was repealed in 1974.
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1968: Holy Week Uprisings
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1968: Bra 'burning' at Miss America pageant
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1968: Democratic National Convention protests
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1969: Stonewall Inn riots
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1969: Vietnam War protest
There is some debate as to whether this movement actually helped to end the Vietnam War. Still, there's no denying the anti-war protesting's cultural and social significance in the late 60s and early 70s. At first, the protests started in general opposition to the war in Vietnam. But in 1971, when the Pentagon Papers were leaked to the press, the mood shifted. The Pentagon Papers contained about 7,000 pages worth of information on the war that the government had been trying to cover up, making people angry. This set the precedence for the people's general mistrust of the government and reinforced the press's important role in delivering the truth to the people.
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1970: Sit-in at Ladies’ Home Journal office
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1970: Kent State University anti-war Rally
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1973: March for Life
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1973: First Take Back The Night march in the US
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1976: Marches for the Equal Rights Amendment
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1979: National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights
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1981: Solidarity Day march
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1982: Anti-nuclear protest in Central Park
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1986: Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament
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1987: Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights
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1992: Los Angeles uprising
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1993: March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation
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1995: Million Man March
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1997: Million Woman March
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1999: Seattle World Trade Organization protests
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2000: The Million Mom March
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2003: Iraq War protests
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2004: March for Women’s Lives
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2006: The Day Without an Immigrant
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2009: Tea Party protests
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2011: Occupy Wall Street
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2013: First Black Lives Matter protests
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2014: People’s Climate March
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2015: Armenian March for Justice
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2016: Dakota Access Pipeline protests
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2017: The Women’s March on Washington
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2017: The March for Science
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2018: Women’s March
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2018: Education Workers' Strikes
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2018: March for Our Lives
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2019: Telegramgate protests in Puerto Rico
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2019: Climate strike
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2020: Black Lives Matter Protests
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