Ahtanum Valley Museum

We talk about the "march of progress" in a metaphorical fashion but the phrase can also be seen to be literal. Over the centuries people have gathered together to march, in order to peacefully protest and let those in power know their feelings. And as a result of many of these marches momentous changes have been made in society. The people who have particularly used this form of protest are people who were traditionally the weakest members of society due to their gender, race or color.

Since marching is a way for the powerless to get power, it is not surprising that one of the first marches in history was by women. Women have always been among the marginalized and even the rich women back in Roman times had little power. 195 B.C. saw the first women's march. After many of the men had been killed in the wars with Carthage the women in the family finally got to inherit the money and land. Those in power were not happy and so they passed a law to make it legal for them to confiscate much of this new found wealth. After two years there was talk of repealing the law but many of the male senators were against doing so. Consequently, the women marched through the streets, their voices rang out strong and clear, and their protest was successful; the law taking their right to own inherited wealth was repealed.

The tactic of marching was employed many hundreds of years later by women when they wanted to be given the right to vote. In the early 20th Century this was not a right women had and thus the Suffragette Movement was born. The right to suffrage or vote was demanded in many ways, not all of them peaceful, but on the whole the women tended to use peaceable tactics. In 1911, after the State of California had granted women suffrage, 3000 women marched in New York. And while we take women's right to vote for granted nowadays, women have still not achieved full equality. It is for this reason that they are still marching, whether to demand equal pay, equal opportunity or merely the right to dress as they please without being accused of bringing sexual assaults on themselves.

But women are only one sector of society that does not have full rights. In the days of Colonialism those who were subject to the colonial powers had few rights and in India Gandhi decided to use the power of the march to ensure that this would change. At that time the British had sole rights to sell salt in India. Since salt is a staple part of everyone's diet this gave them a great deal of control and financial gain. Gandhi organized a march that took approximately 24 days. The march started with 78 people and by the time they reached the beach at Dandi there were approximately 80,000 people. They marched forward to be beaten by the batons of the British and jailed. But the British victory was short and the long term triumph was that of the Salt March which brought about a change on the part of the British.

Another group of people who have suffered from discrimination and been deprived of their basic rights over the years are African Americans. Martin Luther King in his fight for equality followed Gandhi's lead and used marches to attract attention to his cause. But even when he had won and the Civil Rights Act was passed there was no equality in some places. When it came to African Americans voting in Selma, Alabama, the resistance continued. And so did the marches. Three marches were arranged to protest the fact that the law was not being enacted. In the first march many of those participating were beaten by the police and the day became known as "Bloody Sunday." The second march was led by white ministers who got similarly beaten. For the third march the participants were protected by the military but it didn't help. Viola Liuzza a white mother of five was shot as she was taking marchers back to Selma. However, it was the beginning of the end of the resistance to the new legislation.

Marching in protest is no easier nowadays. When one talks of Blacks marching today it does not necessarily refer to the color of the person's skin. Black bloc is a new type of march in that the people participating wear black clothing which can also include black face covering so that they cannot be identified by the authorities. The reasons for the marches are various, such as protesting nuclear power, but the people who march in these "uniforms" have been classified as anarchists and dangerous. It is for this reason that they do not want to be recognized. Part of the problem is that many people don these outfits for different causes while others wear them and use them as an excuse for vandalism. But black bloc tactics are used throughout Europe and the US for many causes.

But there are marches other than protest marches. In war time there have been death marches. Both the Nazi and the Japanese in World War 2 forced their prisoners to walk under terrible conditions and many died before they reach their destination. In 1934 Mao Zedong was just one of many who were in power. But "The Long March" that was in reality a retreat, left many dead on the wayside and his position clear. This march was a form of death march since of the 80,000 who started, only 6,000 made it. However, later it was regarded as a great victory and from one point of view it was: it led to the turning point in the Communist Revolution. Some marches do not appear to achieve anything in the short term but from the point of view of history we can see how they have a significant effect on society as a whole.

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