A Protest History of the United States - Revisioning History by Gloria J Browne-Marshall Hardcover

About the Book

"Exploring 400 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"--

Book Synopsis

Exploring 500 years of resistance movements in US history--and how lasting change results from diverse forms of sustained protest

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 sheds light on known and forgotten movements and their unsung leaders, offering insights into past successes and setbacks.

Drawing upon legal documents, archival material, memoir, government documents and secondary sources, A Protest History of the United States expands the definition of protest beyond traditional marches and rallies. Acts of resistance also include journalism, legal battles, boycotts, everyday defiance, and more. Browne-Marshall highlights stories of individuals from all walks of life and time periods who helped bring strong attention to their causes. You'll read the stories of:

• abolitionist John Brown, who was executed for initiating the 1859 slave revolt at Harpers Ferry
• labor organizer Mother Jones, who fought for the enforcement of the 8-hour workday
• civil rights activist Daisy Bates, who played a leading role in the 1957 Little Rock Integration Crisis

As contemporary movements struggle with inertia and doubt, Browne-Marshall underscores the essential role of protest as an American tradition in shaping and preserving democratic principles. By illuminating the strategies and sacrifices of activists past and present, A Protest History of the United States empowers readers to find their own voice in today's fights for justice.

Review Quotes

"This is a must-read for those who seeks facts and the story regarding the history of protests in this place called America."
--Our Time Press

"Browne-Marshall argues that a nation is made better when the people demand more of it, and her book offers both a history of and a guide for such protest."
--Library Journal

"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

About the Author

Gloria J. Browne-Marshall is a writer, an educator, a legal advocate, and a playwright. She is a professor of Constitutional Law and Africana Studies at John Jay College (CUNY), was a Resident Fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School, as well as a Visiting Professor at the Harvard Kennedy School. She won the 2024 American Bar Association Silver Gavel Award. Her books include She Took Justice: The Black Woman, Law, and Power, The Voting Rights War, and Race, Law, and American Society.