Exploring 500 years of protest and resistance in US history—and what the unsung heroes of social movements past can teach us about navigating our chaotic world
In this timely new book in Beacon’s successful ReVisioning History series, professor Gloria Browne-Marshall delves into the history of protest movements and rebellion in the United States. Beginning with Indigenous peoples’ resistance to European colonization and continuing through to today’s climate change demonstrations, Browne-Marshall expands how to think about protest through sharing select historical moments and revealing the role of key players involved in those efforts.
Drawing upon legal documents, archival material, government documents and secondary sources, A Protest History of the United States gives voice to those who pushed back against the mistreatment of others, themselves, and in some instances planet Earth. Browne-Marshall highlights stories of individuals from all walks of life, backgrounds, and time periods who helped bring strong attention to their causes. Those stories include those of Wahunsenacock, more commonly known to history as Chief Powhatan, who took on English invaders in pre-colonial America in 1607; legendary boxer Muhammad Ali who refused to be inducted into the US military during the Vietnam era and appealed all the way to the US Supreme Court; and David Buckel, LGBTQ+ rights lawyer and environmental activist who protested against fossil fuels by committing self-immolation in 2018.
Regardless of whether these protests accomplished their end goals, Browne-Marshall reminds us that not only is dissent meaningful and impactful but is an essential tool for eliciting long lasting change.
About the Series
Beacon Press’s ReVisioning History series consists of accessibly written books by notable scholars that reconstruct and reinterpret US history from diverse perspectives.
“Attentive to historical records, memoir, environmentalism, and the arts, legal scholar Gloria Browne-Marshall provides fervent affirmation of the many different groups, causes, and methods that comprise the protest tradition from our nation’s founding to today’s pursuit of a more perfect union.”
—Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Victor S. Thomas Professor of History and of African and African American Studies, Harvard University
“To Gloria Browne-Marshall, protest is primal and a prism through which she has exhaustively examined its resonance in American history. Her broad and insightful discussion of protest, from its most violent expression to the mere thrusting of one’s fist in the air, shows how it has been persistently at the core of the nation’s existence. She thoughtfully demonstrates that protest is essential to the origins of the US, an unbroken thread from the Powhatan to George Floyd.”
—Herb Boyd, American Book Award recipient and author of Black Detroit: A People’s History of Self-Determination
“We don’t often read history seeking hope, but in Gloria Browne-Marshall’s A Protest History of the United States, we find it in every exquisitely written chapter. Browne-Marshall’s extraordinary book chronicles the marginalized American heroes who, through overt and covert acts of rebellion, protested systemic injustice, cruelty, and greed. Through careful research, attentive examination, and innovative vision, Browne-Marshall has uncovered a national legacy of resistance and resilience we can believe in.”
—Erika Krouse, author of Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation
“‘Workers are the backbone of every nation’ is the important conclusion learned from Browne-Marshall’s insightful chapter about labor unions and how protesting workers have fought back after being denied decent job conditions and their right to organize unions. Still, as A Protest History of the United States shows, many companies don’t get it: workers never give up!”
—Stefan Löfven, former prime minister of Sweden and former president of the Swedish Industrial and Metal Workers Union
Author’s Note
INTRODUCTION
Our Conflicted Protest History
CHAPTER ONE
Indigenous Resistance for Land, Life, and Culture
CHAPTER TWO
What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?
CHAPTER THREE
Labor Rights and Union Strikes
CHAPTER FOUR
Anti-war Marches and Conscientious Objectors
CHAPTER FIVE
Rebellions Behind Our Golden Door
CHAPTER SIX
Her Body. Her Ballot.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Protesting Violent Policing
CHAPTER EIGHT
Contesting Climate Denial and Environmental Racism
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
- “A History of Protest,” WCVB ABC Channel 5/CityLine (Boston), interview
- “Presidents can be elected twice. Trump could try end runs around that, experts say,” WAMU 88.5/NPR, author quoted in article
- “Dr. King Reminded Us That Progress Through Resistance and Protest Is Never a Straight Line,” Beacon Broadside, adapted MLK Sunrise Celebration keynote
- “Get Lit! Tina Knowles Matriarch and More Books by Black Authors This April,” Ebony, included in reading roundup
- “‘It’s going to be a violent outcome’ What’s behind Trump’s pursuit of a third presidential term?” Deutsche Welle News (Germany), interview
- “At IOP Forum, Legacy Protest Leaders Say Younger Protesters Need to Take More Risks in Era of Retribution,” The Harvard Crimson, write-up on Harvard Forum event
- “How to Protest Effectively,” Harvard Magazine, feature on Harvard Forum event
- “April 2025 Reads for the Rest of Us,” Ms. Magazine, included in reading roundup
- “Author Gloria Browne Marshall on new book about equal rights,” NY1 News, interview
- “Can protesting in the US be ‘illegal’? Trump’s vague warning raises constitutional questions,” CNN.com, author quoted in article
- “Gloria Browne-Marshall,” WURD/Wake Up with WURD (Philadelphia, PA), live interview
- “We are all called to protest, says this civil rights lawyer,” US Catholic, interview
- “Reads for the Rest of Us: The Most Anticipated Feminist Books of 2025,” Ms. Magazine, included in reading roundup