The Donald Trump Protests Could Be Unprecedented

Following Donald Trump's contentious victory, anti-Trump protests sparked in numerous U.S. cities on Wednesday, closing down streets and highways in New York City, Oakland and Chicago. Thousands gathered outside Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago and Trump Tower in New York, chanting "Not My President" and "Racist Trump." Protesters reportedly blocked the streets and entrances to both Trump buildings.

Large demonstrations formed in a handful of other U.S. cities, including Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle, several cities in California and Portland, Oregon. Hundreds of students at the University of Texas at Austin also demonstrated against Trump on Wednesday, closing down a traffic bridge in Austin, according to The Houston Chronicle.

As of 9 p.m. EST on Wednesday, protests from New York City to San Diego were still going strong. The biggest protests unfolded in New York, where the president-elect currently lives and works. Wednesday's protest initially began in Union Square (14th Street), then headed more than 40 blocks north to Midtown Manhattan. Thousands of people swarmed along 5th Avenue, halting traffic.

In Chicago, thousands of protesters marched along Lake Shore Drive and demonstrated outside Trump Tower. The demonstration blocked the entrance to the famed skyscraper, The Chicago Tribune reported. Protesters reportedly chanted "No Trump, No KKK, No Fascists USA" as they waved signs and raised fists before the tower.

In Washington, D.C., protesters marched along Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House. Demonstrators flooded the street chanting "No Racist USA."

Are these presidential protests unprecedented? Although there have been many polarizing presidential candidates throughout U.S. history, we haven't seen protests like these following a presidential election in decades. These burgeoning protests across the United States are reminiscent of the Vietnam War-era protests that persisted throughout the 1960s and early '70s. Richard Nixon was the last president-elect who was protested so relentlessly by the public; his 1969 inauguration attracted thousands of anti-war demonstrators. Just a few months after Nixon took office, anti-war protests sparked in major cities across America — very similar to the anti-Trump protests surging after Election Day.

The 1960s ushered in a new era for America. Are we witnessing a similar culture change? It seems like it's happening.