10 Political Rallies And Acts Of Civil Disobedience You Need To Know About

It would be impossible to do justice to the history and clashes that led up to each one of these acts of civil disobedience in such a short amount of space, and we are not claiming to do so. We strongly urge you to look into the history of political rebellion and civil disobedience on your own, and find within yourself where the line for justification or even action on such things is in your own personal values, if it exists at all. To inspire and educate you, here are 25 Political Rallies And Acts Of Civil Disobedience
You Need To Know About.

10

The Boston Tea Party

Source: Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org (public domain: author’s life + 100 yrs)

On December 16th, 1773, a group of Colonists, dressed as Native Americans, snuck onto ships in Boston Harbor carrying Tea from England. This was to protest British Parliament’s Tea Act of 1773, which basically gave the East India Trading Co (which was starting to fail) complete control of the tea trade in the Americas, undercutting every other possible provider. Viewing this as further taxation without representation, the Colonists emptied the tea into the harbor, led by Sam Adams (yep, THAT Sam Adams). This became known as The Midnight Raid or more commonly The Boston Tea Party.  This led to the British passing the Coercive Acts in 1774, which established British rule in Massachusetts, closed Boston Harbor, and made British officials immune to criminal charges in America. The Colonists responded by calling the first Continental Congress to oppose British rule in America. 60 guys, three tea ships, and now here we are.

9

Rosa Parks

Source: http://www.history.com/ Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org (public domain – published between 1923-1977 w/o copyright)

In December of 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, a woman named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man. This was against the city’s segregation laws, and Parks was arrested. The local chapter of the NAACP planned a bus boycott for Monday, and this led to a 26 year old man, named Rev. Martin Luther King Jr, standing up in church that night saying, “The great glory of American democracy is the right to protest for right.”

8

Emily Davison

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org Image Source: en.wikipedia.org (public domain: author’s life + 70 yrs)

In 1913, British Women’s Suffrage activist Emily Davison, who had been imprisoned nine times and force fed while she was on hunger strike, ran onto the track during the Epsom Derby and was trampled by King George’s Horse. She died from her injuries four days later, but as a result, men rallied to the cause and formed Northern Men’s Federation for Women’s Suffrage.

7

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

Source: http://time.com/

In 1963, The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom had over 200,000 supporters marching on the Mall in Washington DC, pushing lawmakers to address racial inequalities. This is where Dr Martin Luther King Jr delivered the, “I Have A Dream” speech, and this March is credited with building the support needed to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as well as the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

6

The March from Clerkenwell to Hyde Park

Source:http://www.counterfire.org/ Image Source: en.wikipedia.org (public domain: author’s life + 100 yrs)

On May 6th, 1867, working class people marched from Clerkenwell to Hyde Park in London, demanding the right to vote. The government had forbidden this march, stating it would interfere with people’s enjoyment of the park and endanger the public peace; however, the march was carried out anyway, and two weeks later legislation was amended that quadrupled the number of working class people allowed to vote.

5

Thích Quảng Đức

Source:https://www.one.org

In 1963, a monk in Vietnam named Thích Quảng Đức, in order to bring attention to the persecution of Buddhists in South Vietnam, set himself on fire and burned to death. The images of him burning – during which he maintained full composure – were seen around the world and caused allies of the Ngô Đình Diệm (the regime that was persecuting Buddhists) to reconsider their support.  The images of the monk burning are still some of the most powerful in history.

4

Bread Riots & the Fall of the Bastille

Source: http://www.ultimatehistoryproject.com/ Image Source: en.wikipedia.org (public domain: author’s life + 100 yrs)

There were many Bread Riots that, among other things, fanned the flames of unrest and eventually led to the Fall of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, which marked the early stages of the French Revolution. The peasant/working class lived on mostly bread made from rough grain, and between grain shortages and inflation, a loaf of bread cost about as much as a day’s wages, and they often found themselves hungry. Hungry citizens turned into mobs rioting outside bread lines and the palace of Versailles.

3

Cape Town Peace March

Source: https://ironline.american.edu/ Image Source: en.wikipedia.org (public domain)

In South Africa during apartheid rule, civil disobedience was commonly used to fight the government. In March of 1989, the Cape Town Peace March was organized by religious and political leaders (black and white), and since no police were present to apprehend protesters, remained peaceful and was considered a success. This encouraged further marches around the country, and months later Nelson Mandela was freed from prison.

2

February Revolution

Spirce:http://www.counterfire.org/ Image Source: en.wikipedia.org (public domain: author’s life + 70 yrs)

In February 1917, in St. Petersburg, Russia, a demonstration started a wave of strikes known as the February Revolution. The protest was organized and carried out by women, most of whom worked in factories. The main point of their strike? Demanding bread. Three days after the strikes started, the Tsar of Russia was forced to abdicate the throne. This was the start of the Revolution of 1917.

1

Peaceful Protests in Ruhr, Germany

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/

Between 1923 and 1925 (after WWI), France and Belgium occupied the German valley of Ruhr due to a failure to continue reparation payments after the war. The French were greeted by passive resistance including peaceful protests such as marches and civil disobedience. Eventually over years, sympathy for the Germans of Ruhr Valley increased, reparation payments were significant lowered, and the French and Belgians withdrew.