A collection of previously written works with citations
Recent Controversies
On November 11, 2015 a group of Occupy Wall St. protesters were cleared from an encampment at Zucotti Park in New York. In Chicago, 175 protestors were arrested, and in Boston over 100 protestors were arrested. In the weeks before, 700 protestors were arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge. (Goyette, 2011)
On March 19, 2016 a group of mostly peaceful protestors, with a plan to disrupt traffic, blocked access to a Donald Trump rally in Fountain Hills, AZ. Three protestors tied themselves to vehicles blocking the roadway. The three protestors were arrested and two cars were towed. (Fieldstadt, 2016)
A similar anti-Trump rally took place in New York at about the same time, resulting in two arrests.
Many people are disgusted with this protest activity, and say that protestors have no right to disrupt the free speech of a presidential candidate in this manner. But political and social protest has a rich history of calling attention to issues and bringing about much needed change.
Constitutional Freedom of Speech
“The First Amendment is not absolute with regards to protests. Government can make reasonable stipulations about the time, place and manner a peaceable protest can take place, as long as those restrictions are applied in a content-neutral way.” (Goyette, 2011)
So, while citizens have a right to protest, local governments also have a right to stipulate the rules of protest. Those rules must be applied consistently and fairly across the board for all protest groups. In general, protestors do not have a right to disrupt traffic for long periods, make excessive amounts of noise, etc. What cannot be regulated is the basis for, or content of, the protest. Since all citizens are afforded the same protections under the constitution, you cannot stop someone from speaking out just because you do not like their message. Skinheads, Nazis and the Westboro Baptist Church have as much right to protest as anyone else in the United States.
Protests on private property have an entirely different set of rules. In the same way that you can evict someone from your home if you do not like their actions, private property owners can also evict unwanted protestors. (Goyette, 2011)
Lighting the Fire – why people protest
“At the heart of every protest are grievances, be it the experience of illegitimate inequality, feelings of relative deprivation, feelings of injustice, moral indignation about some state of affairs, or a suddenly imposed grievance.” (Klandermans, 2010)
“Grievances resulting from violated principles refer to moral outrage because it is felt that important values or principles are violated. A conflict of principles more likely leads to protests in which people express their views and indignation.” (Klandermans, 2010)
Some Common Types of Protests
boycott
"A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for social or political reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict some economic loss on the target, or to indicate a moral outrage, to try to compel the target to alter an objectionable behavior.
Sometimes, a boycott can be a form of consumer activism, sometimes called moral purchasing. When a similar practice is legislated by a national government, it is known as a sanction." (Wikipedia, n.d.)
Civil disobedience
"Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil disobedience is a symbolic or ritualistic violation of the law, rather than a rejection of the system as a whole. Civil disobedience is sometimes, though not always, defined as being nonviolent resistance." (Wikipedia, n.d.)
Demonstrations
"A demonstration or street protest is action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause; it normally consists of walking in a mass march formation and either beginning with or meeting at a designated endpoint, or rally, to hear speakers. Actions such as blockades and sit-ins may also be referred to as demonstrations.
The term has been in use since the mid-19th century, as was the term 'monster meeting', which was coined initially with reference to the huge assemblies of protesters inspired by Daniel O'Connell in Ireland." (Wickipedia, n.d.)
Significant Protests in the United States
The Boston Tea Party
“Despite its quaint-sounding name, the 1773 "tea party" was in fact a bitter reaction to harsh new British taxation acts. Over the course of three hours on Dec. 16, more than 100 colonists secretly boarded three British ships arriving in harbor and dumped 45 tons of tea into the water. The unorthodox protest was a key precursor to the American Revolution.” (Whipps, 2011)
The American Revolution
The American colonists didn't begin the Revolution with independence as their goal; in time, it became clear that was the only option. The march toward it began with a protest, and a manifesto - our Declaration of Independence - and ended with the Revolutionary War (1775-1783) (Gillespie, 2011)
Labor Movement
"From the textile factories in Lowell, Mass., where the first labor unions were formed, to the railroad strikes in the Southwest led by the Knights of Labor, which thrust unions and their demands into the national spotlight — there have been many triumphant moments in labor movement history. But not every moment was so joyous. Indeed, it's a tragedy that we have to thank, in part, for many of the standards and workers' rights we now enjoy. The Triangle Shirtwaist fire in 1911 started as a small factory fire, but quickly became the deadliest industrial accident in New York City history due to insufficient fire escapes and factory bosses giving little care to fire and safety measures. In the aftermath, a commission was formed to investigate the cause of the 146 deaths, and within a few years, legislation was introduced to create and enforce stricter workplace-safety laws, safer factories and shorter hours. But the movement didn't stop there. The tragedy boosted the strength of the burgeoning union movement and went on to inform many of the rights we enjoy today, including minimum wage and collective-bargaining rights." (Pous, Labor Movement, 2011)
The Civil Rights Movement
"In 1954, the Supreme Court decided segregation was unconstitutional. It took bus boycotts, sit-ins and freedom marches to effect real change. It took the leadership of individuals like Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy; the bravery of women like Rosa Parks; and the coming together of a nation. In 1963, an estimated 250,000 people joined the March on Washington.
These actions led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, affirmative action and other legislation created to ensure racial equality." (Gillespie, 2011)
Women's Suffrage
"From income tax to Prohibition, the Constitution underwent a lot of change in the early 20th century, but perhaps none was more important or positive than the 19th Amendment, which formally granted women the right to vote. The women's-suffrage movement in the U.S. dates as far back as the Revolutionary War, but women's-rights trailblazers, such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and Lucretia Mott, spearheaded the strong push for equal voting rights in the mid-19th century. After the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, the rallying cry for women's right to vote became a yell too loud to ignore. In 1920 — 41 years after it had originally been drafted — Congress ratified an amendment that said: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." Although most of the pioneering suffragettes died before winning the right to vote, to this day every member of the fairer sex has them to thank." (Pous, Women's Suffrage, 2011)
March on Washington
"The more than 200,000 people who descended on Washington, D.C., on Aug. 28, 1963, proved that protests don't need to be violent to be powerful. In addition to meeting with President John F. Kennedy and members of Congress, the groups' leaders led a march from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. The gathered masses stood peaceably for hours in the stifling August heat as musicians and orators appealed for equal rights for African Americans and, really, all minorities. Thanks to powerful words from civil rights champions, including Martin Luther King Jr.'s famed "I Have a Dream" speech, the march went down in history as the most convincing event in the movement that led to the successful passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964." (Carbone, 2011)
The Anti-War Movement
"Though antiwar demonstrations have been sprinkled throughout U.S. history, perhaps none were more vehement than the outcries against America's involvement in Vietnam. In the frigid fall of 1969, more than 500,000 people marched on Washington to protest U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. It remains the largest political rally in the nation's history. While President Richard Nixon was said to have spent the day watching college football inside the White House, to the rest of the world, the protests successfully proved that the antiwar movement comprised more than just politicized youth. The November rallies were part of a string of demonstrations that took place around the world in 1969, with groups from San Francisco and Boston to London petitioning for peace. Despite their cries, the war went on for six more years, ending with the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975." (Skarda, 2011)
Gay Rights
"The riots following the June 28, 1969, police raid on New York City's Stonewall Inn did not start the discussion on gay rights, but they certainly became the catalyst for a national movement. When the Mafia-owned bar that offered a safe place for gay men and lesbians to drink and dance was shut down as part of a citywide crackdown on homosexual life, Greenwich Village erupted into several days of unrest. Violent police beat-downs and open mocking of the authorities by the protesters escalated the neighborhood protest into a full-scale rally for acceptance and equality. Prior to the Stonewall riots, the gay-rights movement had been mostly underground; only two years later, there were organized groups in every major city in America.
Stonewall's legacy lives on today. After the New York state senate voted in favor of same-sex marriage on June 24, 2011, revelers from around the city congregated in front of the bar to celebrate." (Rosenfeld, 2011)
Significant Protests around the World
The Storming of the Bastille
"This one act of July 14, 1789, has come to symbolize the entire French Revolution and indeed was a major catalyst to the 10-year-long rebellion against the crown. On that day, a throng of Parisians descended on the Bastille (long a symbol of royal authority and excess), beheaded its governor and overtook the prison." (Whipps, 2011)
Gandhi's Salt March
“Another protest against British taxation sent Mahatma Gandhi on a 23-day, 240-mile journey to the coast of India to collect his own salt, which was illegal under crown laws. More than 60,000 people, including Gandhi himself, were incarcerated for participating in the salt march, but it ultimately turned the tide of world sympathy towards Indian, rather than British, interests.” (Whipps, 2011)
Tiananmen Square
"A mass of at least 1 million people, mostly students seeking democratic reform, had peacefully occupied Beijing's Tiananmen Square for seven weeks when the Chinese military unexpectedly rolled in tanks to clear them out. Numbers are imprecise, but it is estimated that at least several hundred protesters were killed in the city, drawing harsh criticism from the international community." (Whipps, 2011)
Berlin Wall Protests
"The concrete division that had separated East and West Berlin for 28 years came down just two months after public protests occurred throughout Germany. Pressure to take down the wall had been growing in 1989 and the demonstrations were the final straw for the East German government, which finally opened the gates on Nov. 9." (Whipps, 2011)
A Seed of Truth
The history of the United States is a history of protest. From the Revolutionary War to the 2016 presidential election, Americans have often mounted protests as a vehicle for change or enlightenment.
When enough like-minded people begin to buckle under the weight of inequality and oppression, whether real or perceived, protest is often the result. And the result of protest is often growth and change.
A number of people have criticized the recent political protests against Donald Trump. However, those who are critical should have a closer look at the reasoning behind the protests. As seen in the examples above, when a sufficient number of people feel strongly enough about something to risk public protest, there is often a truth that needs to be examined and addressed.
Works Cited
Carbone, N. (2011, October 12). Civil Rights. Retrieved from Time Magazine: http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2096654_2096653_2096693,00.html
Fieldstadt, E. (2016, March 19). Three Trump Protesters in Arizona Arrested, While Demonstrators in NYC Detained. Retrieved from ABC News: http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/protesters-block-traffic-arizona-trump-rally-while-protesters-nyc-detained-n541926
Gillespie, B. (2011, November 4). 10 Protest Movements That Changed America. Retrieved from Minyanville: http://www.minyanville.com/businessmarkets/articles/10-movements-that-changed-america-movements/11/4/2011/id/37721
Goyette, B. (2011, November 15). Just How Much Can the State Restrict a Peaceful Protest? Retrieved from Pro Publica: https://www.propublica.org/article/explainer-just-how-much-can-the-state-restrict-a-peaceful-protest
Klandermans, J. v. (2010). The social psychology of Protest. Retrieved from VU University, The Netherlands: http://www.surrey.ac.uk/politics/research/researchareasofstaff/isppsummeracademy/instructors/Social%20Psychology%20of%20Protest,%20Van%20Stekelenburg%20%26%20Klandermans.pdf
Pous, T. (2011, October 12). Labor Movement. Retrieved from Time Magazine: http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2096654_2096653_2096680,00.html
Pous, T. (2011, October 12). Women's Suffrage. Retrieved from Time Magazine: http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2096654_2096653_2096676,00.html
Rosenfeld, E. (2011, October 12). Gay Rights. Retrieved from Time Magazine: http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2096654_2096653_2096694,00.html
Skarda, E. (2011, October 12). Antiwar. Retrieved from Time Magazine: http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2096654_2096653_2096695,00.html
Whipps, H. (2011, September 21). 10 Historically Significant Political Protests. Retrieved from Live Science: http://www.livescience.com/16153-10-significant-political-protests.html
Wickipedia. (n.d.). Demonstration (protest). Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonstration_%28protest%29
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Boycott. Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boycott
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Civil Disobedience. Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_disobedience
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