A Consumer Revolution?

This chapter describes seven distinct peaks of consumer activism in the U.S. that coincide with key moments of political action: The American Revolution, the Free Produce Movement, the era of Chinese exclusion, the Progressive Movement, the New Deal period, the Civil Rights and Consumer Movements, and the Global Justice Movement. Consumer activism is an American tradition that has strengthened democracy at key points in U.S. history, with the exception of its infrequent use to suppress the rights of ethnic and racial minorities.