Activism in the United States

Activism is the process by which individuals or groups use action to bring about social or political change. Those who take part in activism campaigns are called activists, and they can be anyone from students to business leaders, celebrities, or other people in positions of power. Activism can take on many forms, and there are many different ways that activists can get their message across and influence change. A common way that activists spread the word is through rallies or marches, but silent protests such as sit-ins have also proven effective. Activism is not a new concept, but through the use of social media, it has become increasingly easier for activists in the twenty-first century to spread their message through hashtags and other viral campaigns. Activism can be seen in social movements such as the fight for the right to vote for women or civil rights for Black Americans, and also in political movements and campaigns during election cycles.

Background

The concept of activism is not a new one, as it dates back to the early years of the United States. One of the first activist movements was known as the labor movement, which sought better working conditions for America's workforce. Organized labor unions were formed to fight for better wages, safer working conditions, and more reasonable hours. Activists fighting for changes in the workplace would demonstrate and even strike—or refuse to work—to spread the word and impact change. The early beginnings of the labor movement date back to the late years of the colonial period, when a free wage-labor market emerged among artisan traders. It was a group of journeymen tailors in New York protesting a wage reduction who held the earliest recorded strike in the United States in 1768. Labor activists also began forming unions to fight for their cause as a unified group, with the first being the 1794 formation of the Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers—or shoemakers—in Philadelphia.

Modern activism in the twenty-first century also has its roots in the women's suffrage movement in the 1800s and early 1900s. The suffrage movement was a decades-long battle in which activists fought to win women the right to vote in the United States. Activists and other reformers fought for nearly one hundred years to secure that right. Although there had been some work done prior, the women's suffrage movement really got its start in 1848, when a group of activists met in Seneca Falls, New York, to discuss women's rights. For decades, the group grew in numbers and fought for the right to vote. Protests and marches were held to spread the word and bring attention to the cause. Although it took years, they were ultimately successful and, on August 26, 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States was ratified. This amendment stated that women, like men, deserve all the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, including the right to vote.

Various forms of activism continued to grow throughout the remainder of the twentieth century. Perhaps one of the biggest was the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s, in which Black Americans fought for equal rights. At the time, segregation was widespread, and Black Americans were often treated as second-class citizens, unable to go to the same schools, eat at the same lunch counters, or even drink from the same water fountains as White Americans. Those in the movement, led by such prominent figures as Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and others, worked to end racial segregation through organized marches, rallies, speeches, and other forms of protest.

Overview

Activism continued to be a prominent and powerful force for change in the twenty-first century. There are many different ways that activists can get involved with and fight for their causes. One of the main methods remained volunteering. Many activist movements are spearheaded by volunteers just wanting to make a difference. Activists can volunteer their time and energy to spread the word and get others to join their cause. They can organize meetings or plan rallies and marches to help support their cause.

The rise of social media has played a large role in how quickly activists are able to spread their messages. Social and political causes can be given a hashtag that allows other social media users to search for their topic, send out their own message about it, and get the topic to trend or go viral to gain attention from a wider audience. Through social media, it is possible for someone on a college campus in Florida to learn about a protest happening at a college campus across the country in California in real time. Activists can plan rallies and protests more spontaneously and get the word out instantly thanks to the use of various social media platforms.

Examples of activism continued to be seen across the United States to one extent or another, ranging from small groups to larger movements. In 2014, for example, students at the University of Michigan staged protests calling for the removal of the school's athletic director after the director failed to remove a football player from a game despite suffering a serious head injury that was later diagnosed as a concussion. The students were ultimately successful, and the athletic director resigned.

Larger movements have also taken off across the country—and even internationally. The Black Lives Matter movement, which focuses on ending violence and police brutality against Black Americans while advocating for social justice overall, grew from a few founding members at its start in 2013 to multiple chapters across the country and the world. The widespread organized protests of the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, by a White police officer in Minnesota in 2020 particularly represented the potential power of collected activism. At the same time, various groups fought further for equal pay regardless of gender, reproductive rights, and an end to sexual harassment and assault, among other issues. The #MeToo movement, for example, went viral beginning in 2017 as a result of sexual assault scandals that rocked various industries such as Hollywood, journalism, and politics. In addition to raising awareness, activists contributed to legal prosecutions and career consequences for some of those accused of sexual violence. While activism around LGBTQ rights had existed since at least the twentieth century, by the 2020s focus on LGBTQ causes had only grown, particularly as anti-LGBTQ state legislation increasingly passed that related to everything from education to gender-affirming health care. Activism also continued to take place in the United States concerning international issues, such as students organizing protests at college campuses across the country in support of Palestine following Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza that began in 2023.

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