--- title: March on Washington: See the Evolution of Protests in DC description: From an 1894 protest against unemployment to more recent Inauguration protests, the march on Washington has been a powerful American idea. canonical: https://time.com/4631916/photos-washington-protests/ author: Lily Rothman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-20T18:00:33.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:50:23.853Z article:section: History og:title: March on Washington: See the Evolution of Protests in DC og:description: From an 1894 protest against unemployment to more recent Inauguration protests. og:url: https://time.com/4631916/photos-washington-protests/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd7872141f48a5c6b/6988b52ebc6cfcd47d3dfc21/170111-washington-marches-03.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Suffrage Parade 1913 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: March on Washington: See the Evolution of Protests in DC twitter:description: From an 1894 protest against unemployment to more recent Inauguration protests. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd7872141f48a5c6b/6988b52ebc6cfcd47d3dfc21/170111-washington-marches-03.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # See the Evolution of Protests in Washington by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/) and [Liz Ronk](https://time.com/author/liz-ronk/) Jan 20, 2017 6:00 PM UTC  Inez Milholland Boissevain, wearing white cape, seated on white horse at the National American Woman Suffrage Association parade, March 3, 1913, Washington, D.C. Inez Milholland Boissevain, wearing white cape, seated on white horse at the National American Woman Suffrage Association parade, March 3, 1913, Washington, D.C.Library of Congress by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/) and [Liz Ronk](https://time.com/author/liz-ronk/) Jan 20, 2017 6:00 PM UTC In 1894, they came to Washington to demand a solution to unemployment. Led by [Jacob Coxey](http://time.com/vault/issue/1931-08-24/page/16/), they contributed a not-so-flattering term to the American lexicon—a “Coxey’s Army” is a ragtag group—and many were arrested. But, though their immediate goals were not achieved, they accomplished something more important: [starting](http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-ragtag-band-reformers-organized-first-protest-march-washington-dc-180951270/) an American tradition of bringing protest to Washington, D.C., using the people’s presence to send a message to those in power. And, like Coxey’s Army, marchers who have been disappointed in the short term have often wielded great influence in the long term. In 1913, they were suffrage supporters, putting together a [march](http://time.com/4391874/the-society-girl-who-became-a-martyr-for-womens-suffrage/) that [played an important role](http://time.com/4242373/1913-suffrage-march-audio/) in getting American women the vote. In 1932, they were the “[Bonus Expeditionary Force](http://time.com/vault/issue/1932-06-13/page/16/),” a group of World War I veterans who, suffering during the Great Depression, sought an early payout on the service bonuses they were due. The way President Herbert Hoover dealt with them—or, rather, failed to do so—[helped](http://time.com/vault/issue/1933-05-22/page/19/) get FDR elected. The 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, remembered for Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, [defined](http://content.time.com/time/onedream/) the civil-rights era. The [Million Man March](http://time.com/vault/issue/1995-10-23/page/1/) in 1995 put a new spin on the idea of the Washington demonstration. And, whether a half-century ago or only a decade, protests at inaugurations of Presidents like Richard Nixon and George W. Bush have provided a model for angry voters to make their voices heard. As the American capital once again braces for a wave of protest, with hundreds of thousands expected to [march on Saturday](http://ti.me/2ixniQ2) in protest of Donald Trump’s inauguration, here’s a look back at how the tradition has evolved over the course of more than 120 years.  American politician Jacob Coxey leads a group of men on a march from Massillon, Ohio, to Washington, D.C., in protest of unemployment, 1894. Stock Montage—Getty Images  One of the largest armies of unemployed men parade in Washington on bike, wagons and on foot, on the first Labor Day observance, Sept. 3, 1894\. Shown are Jacob S. Coxey's "Army of the Commonweal of Christ," with Coxey in the buggy at right, wearing light suit. AP Photo  Inez Milholland Boissevain, wearing white cape, seated on white horse at the National American Woman Suffrage Association parade, March 3, 1913, Washington, D.C. Library of Congress  Suffrage parade, March. 3, 1913. Library of Congress  Woman Suffrage Parade held in Washington, D.C., March 3, 1913. Library of Congress  The "Pay The Bonus" sign carried by a group of World War veterans was typical of the banners of the former soldiers who marched to Washington to press their demands for payments of the soldiers' bonus. June 7, 1932. AP Photo  Members of the Bonus Expeditionary Forces, many carrying American flags, marching across the east plaza of the U.S. Capitol. April 8, 1932. Library of Congress  Martin Luther King Jr. addresses the crowd during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Aug. 28, 1963. Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Scene from the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Aug. 28, 1963. Paul Schutzer—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A group of young Americans attend a protest during the weekend of Richard Nixon's first inauguration, Washington, DC, Jan. 18-21, 1969. David Fenton—Getty Images  Police stand in front of group of antiwar demonstrators lined along Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 1973, before the inauguration pf President Richard M. Nixon. AP Photo  With the Capitol in the background, participants in the Million Man March gather on the Washington Monument grounds Monday Oct. 16, 1995. Charles Tasnadi—AP Photo  West Coast members of the Nation of Islam gather on the Mall in Washington, Monday, Oct. 16, 1995, prior to the start of the Million Man March. Steve Helber—AP Photo  Demonstrators make their feelings known as they crowd along the George W. Bush inauguration parade route on Jan. 20, 2001, in Washington, D.C. Don Emmert—AFP/Getty Images  During inaugural ceremonies on Capitol Hill, protesters rally against President George W. Bush during a march on Jan. 20, 2005 in Washington, D.C. Oscar H. 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