Occupy Wall Street Continues a Long Tradition

Protests are usually messy, noisy and often confused. But they have produced some of the most important changes in American history â?? the Sons of Liberty, the abolitionists, the populists, the labor movements, the civil rights movements, the anti-war movements and many others. All were first attacked as rabble and mob rule. But our democracy would be far more fragile without them â?? seldom more so than during economic crises. The Occupy Wall Street protests are the product of the 2008 economic crisis and the growing anger toward the financial world. Whether this new movement will survive, no one knows â?? but it is a continuation of a long-standing tradition.