{"id":16966,"date":"2018-05-03T11:03:04","date_gmt":"2018-05-03T19:03:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/?post_type=blog&p=16966"},"modified":"2023-09-19T14:09:52","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T21:09:52","slug":"takeovers-and-occupations-a-survey-of-american-mini-rebellions-and-political-stands","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/dipsy.pbs.org\/independentlens\/blog\/takeovers-and-occupations-a-survey-of-american-mini-rebellions-and-political-stands\/","title":{"rendered":"Takeovers and Occupations: A Survey of American Mini-Rebellions and Political Stands"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the Independent Lens<\/em>\u00a0No Man’s Land<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, we get a fly on the wall sense of the tense armed takeover and 41-day standoff at Oregon’s Malheur Wildlife Refuge, led by rancher Ammon Bundy and his militia. Before it was all over, 26 people were arrested and charged with felony conspiracy against the government for their roles in the Malheur occupation, with one dead. While your view of the Bundy group and their arguments may vary, and may not seem as righteous to you as it did to them, there’s no question their occupation takes its place in American history with a few other movements who took over public land or property in order to take a stand, to right a perceived wrong. <\/span><\/p>\n

To Americans, the thought of rebelling against the government by taking over federal property may seem hard to fathom, yet is also wholly American (“Don’t tread on me!”), engrained in our very being.<\/span><\/p>\n

Make no mistake, there have been rebellious takeovers through our history.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Shay’s Rebellion in Massachusetts was important in getting the Constitutional Convention put together; Dorr’s Rebellion in Rhode Island was a fight for control of Rhode Island state in 1841-42; the abolitionist John Brown’s renowned attempt to take over Harper’s Ferry in 1859 was an attempt start a slave revolt. And one of the more important but often overlooked political takeovers in US history happened after WWI, in Washington D.C., and involved a soon-to-be more famous General helping end it.<\/span><\/p>\n

This sad moment in 1932 involved the U.S. Army having to use force against its own, basically–military veterans. T<\/span>he “Bonus Army” was a protest and encampment of World War I vets trying to get their pensions moved up because of the Great Depression, camped out near the White House in 1932. They were dispersed by forces led by Douglas MacArthur.\u00a0 A PBS documentary\u00a0March of the Bonus Army<\/em> covered this very brief uprising:<\/span><\/p>\n