History glossary
nonviolent protest
protest that avoids physical attacks, even when protesters face violence.
- Category
- Civil rights
- Region
- United States
- Date range
- 1954–1968
What it means
Marches, boycotts and sit-ins could use nonviolent methods. Participants trained to resist provocation and expose injustice. Nonviolence did not mean that their opponents were peaceful or that protest was safe.
