Frank Watson: The Right to Protest

We in America not only have a right to protest, we have a long standing tradition. The Boston Tea Party was essentially a protest against British tax laws. Admittedly, it got a bit out of hand, went beyond “peaceful”, and destroyed some valuable property, (the tea). This early protest had a goal. The objective of the protesters was to convince the British crown to change their tax policy toward the American Colonies. Although the protesters became icons of freedom, they didn’t actually achieve their goal. The British crown retaliated with harsh reprisals and even higher taxes.

The anti-war pro...