List of protests and demonstrations in the United States by size

The right to assemble is recognized as a human right and protected in the First Amendment of the US Constitution under the clause, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."[1]

Main article: List of protests in the United States

Widespread mass protest became a distinct characteristic of 20th and 21st century American civic engagement, with each of the top ten attended protests occurring since 1970 and four of the top five occurring since the start of the Trump administration in 2017.

Methodology

In 1995, the National Park Service estimated 400,000 people attended the Million Man March in Washington, D.C., the official count for the event.[2] The organizers said more than a million people turned out, and they threatened to sue the Park Service unless it revised its estimate. Congress, in response, barred the agency from producing any more crowd estimates.[3]

Since then, official crowd estimates for organized political protests, demonstrations, and marches have relied on an amalgam of police data, organizer estimates, the research of crowd scientists, and journalists.[4]

List

Rows shaded in yellow indicates the protest happened in multiple cities simultaneously across the United States.

    RankNameAttendanceCityTerritoryYearIssue
    1George Floyd Protests/2020–2023 United States racial unrest15,000,000 - 26,000,000[5]Nationwide USA2020systemic racism, injustice
    2Earth Day20,000,000[6]Nationwide USA1970Environmental protection
    32017 Women's March3,300,000–5,600,000[7][8]Nationwide USA2017Feminism
    4March for Our Lives1,200,000-2,000,000[9][10][11][12]Nationwide USA2018Gun control
    52018 Women's March1,500,000[13]Nationwide USA2018Feminism
    6#RickyRenuncia~1,100,000[14]San Juan Puerto Rico2019Anti-corruption; see Telegramgate
    7Great American Boycott~1,000,000[15]Nationwide USA2006Immigrant rights
    8March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation800,000–1,000,000[16][17]Washington D.C. District of Columbia1993LGBT rights
    9Anti-nuclear weapon march, part of the Nuclear Freeze campaign700,000–1,000,000[18][19]New York City New York1982Anti-nuclear
    10Million Man March670,000–800,000[20]Washington D.C. District of Columbia1995Anti-racism
    11March for Women's Lives500,000–1,000,000[21][22]Washington D.C. District of Columbia2004Feminism
    12Million Mom March750,000[23]Washington D.C. District of Columbia2000Gun control
    13March for Science400,000–1,000,000[24][25]Nationwide USA2017Science
    14March for Life400,000-650,000 (2013 estimate from rally organizers)[26][27]Washington D.C. District of Columbia2013Pro-life
    15Million Woman March500,000[28]Philadelphia Pennsylvania1997Black feminism
    16Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam500,000[29]Washington D.C. District of Columbia1969Anti-Vietnam War
    17People's Climate March311,000–400,000[30][31]New York City New York2014Climate Change
    18Tea Party Tax Day protestsc. 311,000[32]Nationwide USA2009Fiscal conservatism
    19March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom250,000–300,000[33][34]Washington D.C. District of Columbia1963Civil rights
    20Solidarity Day march250,000–260,000[35][36]Washington D.C. District of Columbia1981Labor rights
    21February 15 Iraq war protests200,000–375,000[37][38]New York City New York2003Anti-Iraq War
    22September 2019 climate strikes315,000[39]New York City New York2019Climate Change
    23Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear215,000[40]Washington D.C. District of Columbia2010Civil discourse
    24March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights200,000[41]Washington D.C. District of Columbia1987LGBT rights
    252015 Armenian March for Justice130,000+[42]Los Angeles California2015Armenian genocide recognition
    26Proposition 187 Protests70,000[43]Los Angeles California1994Immigrant rights
    271999 Seattle WTO protests40,000Seattle Washington1999Anti-globalization

    See also

    References
    1. Andrew M., Winston (October 2014). "Right to Peaceful Assembly: United States". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on April 20, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
    2. Michael, Janofsky (October 21, 1995). "Federal Parks Chief Calls 'Million Man' Count Low". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 5, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
    3. Craven McGinty, Jo. "The 400,000 Man March? A Brief History of Crowd Counting". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
    4. Sabrina, Stierwalt. "How Do You Estimate Crowd Size?". Scientific American. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
    5. Buchanan, Larry; Bui, Quoctrung; Patel, Jugal K. (July 3, 2020). "Black Lives Matter May Be the Largest Movement in U.S. History". The New York Times (online ed.). Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
    6. "When Was the First Earth Day?". NOAA (online ed.). April 11, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
    7. Owen, Tess (January 23, 2017). "The Women's March turnout is at 3.2 million and counting". Vice News (online ed.). Archived from the original on January 28, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
    8. Waddell, Kavel (January 23, 2017). "The Exhausting Work of Tallying America's Largest Protest". The Atlantic (online ed.). Archived from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
    9. "More than 2 million joined March for Our Lives protests in 90 percent of U.S. voting districts". Newsweek. March 26, 2018. Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
    10. "The odds that a gun will kill the average American may surprise you". Business Insider. Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
    11. Shabad, Rebecca (March 24, 2018). "At March For Our Lives, survivors lead hundreds of thousands in call for change". NBC News. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
    12. "It's official: March for Our Lives was one of the biggest youth protests since the Vietnam War - Vox". www.vox.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
    13. Berquist, Aileen (January 29, 2018). "MARCH ON Gears Up for March On the Polls 2018" (online ed.). March On. Archived from the original on February 16, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
    14. Ramirez, William (August 8, 2019). "After the Power of Protest Ousts a Governor, Puerto Rico has a New Leader. For Now". ACLU. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
    15. Glaister, Dan; MacAskill, Ewen. "US counts cost of day without immigrants". The Guardian. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
    16. Smith, Nadine (April 25, 2013). "The 20th Anniversary of the LGBT March on Washington: How Far Have We Come?". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on March 21, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
    17. Schmalz, Jeffrey (April 26, 1993). "March For Gay Rights; Gay Marchers Throng Mall in Appeal for Right". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
    18. Jonathan, Schell (June 14, 2007). "The Spirit of June 12". The Nation. No. July 2, 2007 Issue. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
    19. Paul L., Montgomery (June 13, 1982). "Throngs Fill Manhattan to Protest Nuclear Weapons". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
    20. Agrawal, Nina. "Before the Women's March on Washington there was the Million Woman March…and the Million Man March". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
    21. Gibson, Megan. "The March for Women's Lives". Time. Archived from the original on March 27, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
    22. "March For Women's Lives: Up to a Million Descend on DC in One of the Largest Protests in U.S. History". Democracy Now. April 26, 2004. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
    23. Gibson, Megan (August 12, 2011). "The Million Mom March". Time. Archived from the original on August 23, 2013. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
    24. The Crowd-Counting Consortium estimated 399,521 to 677,304 participants. Chenoweth, Erica; Perkoski, Evan; Pressman, Jeremy; Thurber, Ches (May 22, 2017). "New data shows a sharp increase in U.S. protest activity in April". Washington Post. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
    25. "The Science Behind the March for Science Crowd Estimates". Medium. May 15, 2017. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
    26. "'Life is winning': Pence fired up March for Life crowd". Fox News. January 27, 2017. Archived from the original on January 21, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
    27. "40 Years After Roe v. Wade, Thousands March to Oppose Abortion". Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
    28. Tornquist, Cynthia (October 25, 1997). "Million Woman March fills Philadelphia streets". CNN. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
    29. History.com Staff. "Second moratorium against the war held". History.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
    30. Dastagir, Alia E. (September 21, 2014). "'Largest-ever' climate-change march rolls through NYC". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 21, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
    31. Visser, Nick (September 21, 2014). "Hundreds of Thousands Turn Out For People's Climate March in New York City". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
    32. "Tea Party Nonpartisan Attendance Estimates: Now 300,000+". FiveThirtyEight. April 16, 2009. Archived from the original on July 1, 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
    33. "King speaks to March on Washington". History.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
    34. "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom". National Park Service. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
    35. Pianin, Eric; Brown, Warren (September 20, 1981). "250,000 March to Protest Reagan's Policies". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 18, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
    36. Merlino, Joseph P. (November 1, 1981). "A Retrospective Look at What 'Solidarity Day' Meant". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
    37. "Cities jammed in worldwide protest of war in Iraq". CNN. February 16, 2003. Archived from the original on May 8, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
    38. Tharoor, Ishaan. "Viewpoint: Why Was the Biggest Protest in World History Ignored?". Time. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
    39. "Biggest Climate Protest Ever".
    40. Montopoli, Brian (October 30, 2010). "Jon Stewart Rally Attracts Estimated 215,000". CBS News. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
    41. Williams, Lena (October 12, 1987). "200,000 March in Capital to Seek Gay Rights and Money for AIDS". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 27, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
    42. Mejia, Brittny (April 24, 2015). "Armenian genocide: Massive march ends at Turkish consulate in L.A." The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 20, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
    43. Arellano, Gustavo. "Prop. 187 forced a generation to put fear aside and fight. It transformed California, and me". LA Times. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
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