The 14 biggest marches and protests in American history

Leanna Garfield,Zoë EttingerJun 2, 2020, 04:06 IST

Protesters rally after the death of George Floyd.Terray Sylvester/Reuters

Millions of people in US history have protested and marched against injustices in an effort to enact social change.
One of the most famous protests in US history was the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech.
The Women's March in 2017 was the largest march in US history, attracting between 3.2 and 5.2 million people.
Over the past week, protests sparked by the death of George Floyd have seen tens of thousands march against systemic racism and the killing of black people in America.

Americans across the country are publicly expressing outrage at police brutality and the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and others.

Protests have occured through US history as a way for Americans to express outrage against hate, inequality, and violence and to enact change. The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963 successfully pressured the Kennedy administration to pass civil rights bills.

The Women's March in 2017 was the largest single-day demonstration in US history, attracting up to 5.2 million protesters.

Here's a look back at some of the biggest marches in American history.

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The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was to protest the systemic disenfranchisement of black Americans and happened on August 28, 1963.

Martin Luther King Jr at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. AP

An anti-Vietnam War protest in Washington, DC, happened on November 15, 1969.

Anti-Vietnam War protest. AP

The Solidarity Day march in Washington, DC, was on September 19, 1981. Thousands protested President Reagan's budget cuts and tax policies.

Solidarity Day March 1981. AP

The Anti-Nuclear March in New York City's Central Park was on June 12, 1982. Protesters sought nuclear disarmament by the US government.

Anti-Nuclear March in New York. Getty Images

The Million Man March was to promote unity and family values in black communities and happened in Washington, DC, on October 16, 1995.

Million Man March. AP

The March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation was on April 25, 1993.

LGBT March on Washington, DC in 1993. AP

The Million Woman March in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was on October 25, 1997. Its aim was for unity in black communities and among black women.

Million Woman March. AP

Protests against the Iraq war in America's largest cities occurred on February 15, 2003.

Iraq War protest. Duane Braley/Star Tribune via Getty Images

The March for Women's Lives was in Washington, DC, on April 25, 2004. Protesters advocated for reproductive rights, women's rights, and more.

March for Women’s Lives. Reuters

The People's Climate March occurred in New York City on September 21, 2014.

Demonstrators make their way down Sixth Avenue during the People's Climate March. AP Photo/Jason DeCrow

The March for Science was held in the United States April 22, 2017. Protests advocated for environmental protection and sustainability.

March for Science protesters. Sait Serkan Gurbuz/AP

The largest Women's Marches occurred on January 21, 2017, and January 20, 2018. They called for women's autonomy over their own bodies.

A crowd at the Women's March on Washington, DC on January 21, 2017. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

The March for Our Lives was a student-led protest for stricter gun control laws occurring across the United States on March 24, 2018.

March For Our Lives participants in Parkland, Florida. Associated Press/Joe Skipper

Protests in response to George Floyd's death began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, and remain ongoing in dozens of cities across the US.

Protesters demonstrate against the the death of George Floyd in New York. AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

A timeline of LGBTQ rights in the United States, from before Stonewall to today

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