With a politically active population, diverse demographics, and its status as the center of American politics, Washington, DC has established itself as the nation’s leading protest city. From the 1963 March on Washington to the recent No Kings protests, DC has held hundreds of mass protests. While the topics of the protests vary, they all have one thing in common: change.
In 1963, 250,000 citizens from all across the country marched down the National Mall in protest of racial segregation in the United States. There, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, and Joan Baez performed “We Shall Overcome.” Just 10 months later, Congress passed the most comprehensive piece of civil rights legislation of the 20th century: the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The Vietnam War sparked many protests, but none bigger than the Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam. On November 15th, 1969, an estimated 500,000 protesters staged the largest anti-war protest in U.S. history, marching through the National Mall and up to the President’s doorstep. Keynote speakers included politician George McGovern and folk artist Pete Seeger. Though American involvement in the war did drag on, it was powerful protests like this that helped end the most disastrous war in the history of our country.
The March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Equal Rights and Liberation of 1993 may have been the largest protest in our city’s history, with over 800,000 in attendance. Representative Nancy Pelosi delivered a letter written by President Bill Clinton, and it was the impactful words and historic showcase of support for the LGBTQ community that helped advance the gay rights movement.
DC protest tradition does not discriminate based on political stance. Since 1974, anti-abortion protesters have held the annual March for Life protest, while after the Dobbs Decision in 2022, pro-choice protesters gathered outside of the Supreme Court to express their anger with the new precedent. In November of 2023, following Israel’s invasion into the Gaza Strip, about 300,000 pro-Palestinian protesters marched at Freedom Plaza in opposition to the incursion. Two weeks later, an estimated 200,000 marched the National Mall in support of the Jewish state.
The District of Columbia showcases American democracy at its finest-not just in the walls of Congress, not just at the voting booths, but through thousands of people in the streets speaking their minds. DC is emblematic of our most cherished American values, and it will be for years to come. •