Protest Movements: Catalysts for Change in U.S. History

Do The Battle of Blair Mountain, Woman Suffrage Procession, and African-American Civil Rights Movement have something in common? These are clearly not disparate events. As most of us may know, all of them are milestones in United State history. We can also say that they brought positive changes to society. However, that is not the answer I am looking for. What all of these events –along with many others- have in common is that they were protesting movements. These movements are not a modern phenomenon. At many points in history, people got tired of an oppressive system that violates their rights or that did not suit their needs, so they went to the street or stopped working to fight for a change that grants them equality, freedom and the protection

I will do this by using the perspectives of some classical social theorists such Karl Marx and Marx Weber. To exemplify this phenomenon, I will pick a current event, and then I will link it to specific ideas from those theorists. After reading this piece, I expect to have informed the reader about how Marxism explains the role that protests have played in our society, how they affect us, and why we should

For Marx, lineated labor is, “exterior to the worker, that is, it does not belong to his essence. Therefore, he does not confirm himself in his work, he denies himself (…) no free physical and intellectual energy (…) his labor is therefore not voluntary but compulsory, forced labor. It is therefore not the satisfaction of a need but only a means to satisfy needs outside itself” (2013a). The workers on strike do not have control over the service that they provide. They have to do what they have been told (ride a specific route and follow a schedule, depart from the indicated areas and stop at the indicated places) and do so repeatedly without questioning. They have been separated from their creative potential and have become a tool of the capital system. Some people can say that this job provides the money they need to satisfy their needs, but the truth is that they are not using their full potential. By doing this job, they are giving up his time to do the things that fulfill their life. Drivers do not need to travel to Philadelphia transporting people; it is all the way around. People need drivers to take them to their jobs, schools, etc. However, does society value this? My answer would be no. Workers do not receive a full reward for the work they do. In this system, it does not matter how fast workers do their job neither their attitude toward the riders. The only thing that matters is doing the job. In other