How effective is protesting? According to historians and political scientists: very

[erronis]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/25/protests-effective-history-impact

From emancipation to women’s suffrage, civil rights and BLM, mass movement has shaped the arc of US history

Trump’s first and second terms have been marked by huge protests, from the 2017 Women’s March to the protests for racial justice after George Floyd’s murder, to this year’s No Kings demonstrations. But how effective is this type of collective action?

According to historians and political scientists who study protest: very. From emancipation to women’s suffrage, from civil rights to Black Lives Matter, mass movement has shaped the arc of American history. Protest has led to the passage of legislation that gave women the right to vote, banned segregation and legalized same-sex marriage. It has also sparked cultural shifts in how Americans perceive things like bodily autonomy, economic inequality and racial bias.

But as with any tool, there are ways to sharpen and blunt a protest’s impact. Here’s what decades of research tells us about what protest can and can’t do.

Protests can affect elections

Protests foster lifelong civic engagement

Nonviolence is key

Protests help people feel more effective and hopeful in their own lives

. . .

This is also key since protests rarely incite policy or cultural changes overnight. Often, their rates of impact are much more gradual. For that reason, looking at them through a historical lens – when movements can be digested in terms of years, or even decades – is a helpful way to appreciate the tangible effect of taking to the streets.

“Protests often have a subtle cascade effect,” said Wasow. “These are long-term fights.”

[Iwasthere]

1. Enmasse

Our protests aren't big enough. SHUT DOWN GOVERMENT. Work stoppages across the country. Remove the relentless, criminal madman that's destroying everything (to distract).