Quote Originally Posted by Kenyth
IMO you didn't really get a lot of protestors until that era [Vietnam] hit. Before that, you had a generally stong feeling of nationalism and patriotism in the population.
Slowly over the course of the 20th century, the government, particularly the office of the President, became less accessible, as well. One President even had a day of the week set aside to meet with the public. All you had to do was set up an appointment.

These days, you'd be lucky to get a face-to-face with an aide to your congressional representatives. I think that isolates people from their government quite a bit. That makes it feel like the only way you can have your voice heard is to stage a massive protest.

Aside from the Vietnam Era (which was defined by protests), most protests have been swept under the rug of history. The only ones I can recall are suffrage, the depression, and the civil rights movement.

When you think back on even recent events (Iran Contra and Clinton's Impeachment come to mind), you tend to remember the events, not the protests (although each was pretty heavily protested).