A boycott is a form of protest—motivated by moral, social, or political reasons—aimed at an individual, company, institution, or government. It involves a collective refusal to buy products, use services, or engage with targeted parties. The goal is to inflict economic pressure to persuade the target to change a policy or practice that protesters oppose.
While public shaming and mass avoidance likely date back centuries, the word “boycott” originates from a real person named Boycott.
Throughout history, boycotts have been used successfully against individuals, corporations, cities, states, and entire nations. In the age of social media, a boycott can begin with a single hashtag and quickly spread worldwide. Below are notable boycotts from history and their outcomes.
1) The First Official Boycott
Charles Boycott, a land manager in 19th-century Ireland, gave his name to the modern term “boycott.”
The term “boycott” comes from Charles Boycott, a land agent in 19th-century Ireland. Wealthy absentee English landlords owned much of the land and relied on agents to collect rents from tenant farmers. In 1880, after a bad harvest, tenants demanded a 25 percent rent reduction; the landlord offered only 10 percent. When farmers refused to accept the offer, the landlord instructed Boycott to evict nonpaying tenants.
Local people refused to work for or trade with Boycott. No one would take over emptied farms, local shops wouldn’t sell him food, and businesses avoided him. Isolated and unable to operate, Boycott left for Dublin and later attempted to emigrate to the United States, but his name became synonymous with social isolation as punishment. The Oxford English Dictionary included the word “boycott” for the first time in 1888.
2) The Stamp Act Boycott
A successful colonial boycott of British goods helped prompt repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766.
After the French and Indian War, Britain faced heavy debt and sought revenue from its American colonies through new taxes, including the Stamp Act of 1765—a direct internal tax meant to fund British troops in America. Colonists objected to “taxation without representation,” arguing that only their own assemblies could levy taxes.
Americans organized widespread boycotts of British goods and intimidated or forced tax officials to resign. The economic pressure and political unrest led Britain to repeal the Stamp Act in 1766.
3) The Slave Sugar Boycott
When abolitionists failed to win parliamentary action in 1791, they called on British households to boycott sugar produced with slave labor from the Caribbean. Activists like William Fox urged consumers to refuse “slave sugar,” and many families either stopped using sugar or switched to sugar from regions where slavery was not used.
The boycott led to visible consumer behavior: stores labeled sugar from the East Indies as “not made by slaves,” and households displayed such jars proudly. Sugar sales from the Caribbean dropped sharply, while alternatives rose. Abolitionists revived the boycott in later decades to continue applying economic pressure against slavery.
4) The Ford Motor Company Boycott
A 1927 boycott over anti-Semitic publications forced Henry Ford to close the Dearborn Independent and apologize.
Henry Ford’s newspaper, the Dearborn Independent, published anti-Semitic material in the 1920s. The Anti-Defamation League sued and helped organize a boycott of Ford cars that brought together Jewish communities and many liberal allies. Other companies threatened negative publicity, and Ford’s car sales suffered. In 1927 Ford apologized and shut down the newspaper as his company’s fortunes declined.
5) The Salt March
In 1930, Gandhi led a campaign to defy British salt laws as part of his nonviolent struggle for Indian independence.
The British Salt Act prohibited Indians from collecting or selling salt and required them to buy taxed British salt. In 1930 Mohandas Gandhi launched the Salt March to the sea to make salt from seawater, initiating mass civil disobedience. Tens of thousands joined similar protests across India, and the British arrested more than 60,000 people. International outrage over the authorities’ harsh response widened support for Indian independence.
Gandhi also urged boycotts of British-made goods and promoted spinning and weaving native cloth, weakening Britain’s economic hold and strengthening India’s movement for self-rule.
6) The Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her bus seat in 1955 sparked the Montgomery bus boycott and helped launch the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.
When Rosa Parks refused to surrender her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955, black leaders organized a citywide boycott of the municipal bus system. For 381 days, African Americans organized carpools, walked, and found alternative transportation to avoid the buses. The boycott severely hurt the bus company’s finances and culminated in a Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public transportation was unconstitutional, marking a landmark victory for the Civil Rights Movement.
7) South Africa’s Bus Boycott
In 1957, commuters in Johannesburg walked long distances to protest fare hikes, mobilizing resistance against Apartheid.
In 1957, residents of several Johannesburg townships refused to ride buses after fares were raised, with many walking up to 20 miles daily. As many as 60,000 people joined the boycott. It lasted six months, ending when local merchants and the Chamber of Commerce agreed to subsidize fares. The protest helped galvanize resistance against South Africa’s apartheid system and inspired further civil rights activism.
8) The Delano Grape Boycott
Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers led a successful nationwide grape boycott that improved wages and working conditions for farm laborers.
In 1965 Filipino-American grape workers in Delano, California, went on strike over low wages and poor working conditions. The Mexican-American National Farmworkers Association, led by Cesar Chavez, joined and the two unions merged into the United Farm Workers. Chavez organized a broad consumer boycott of Delano grapes, persuaded dockworkers not to load grapes, and kept the movement nonviolent. Millions of consumers participated, and by 1970 growers signed collective bargaining agreements that delivered better pay, benefits, and protections to thousands of farmworkers.
9) The Nestlé Boycott
Activists accused Nestlé of unethical marketing of infant formula in developing countries, prompting an international boycott beginning in 1977.
In the 1970s, advocacy groups alleged that Nestlé aggressively marketed infant formula in developing countries, persuading mothers to use formula instead of breast milk. In 1977, the Infant Formula Action Coalition launched a boycott that spread internationally. By 1984 Nestlé agreed to follow an International Code on marketing breast-milk substitutes drafted by the World Health Assembly, and the boycott was suspended. Persistent concerns about marketing practices later led to renewed boycotts in some countries that continue to this day.
10) The Anti-Apartheid Boycott
International boycotts and sanctions over Apartheid prompted companies to leave South Africa and helped pressure the government to reform.
In the 1980s, international pressure against South Africa’s apartheid policies took the form of economic boycotts and sanctions. The U.S. Congress passed the Anti-Apartheid Act in 1986, banning imports and restricting business ties. Many multinational companies withdrew their investments, reducing jobs and revenue. Political reforms followed: in 1990 F.W. de Klerk lifted the ban on the African National Congress and released political prisoners, and in 1993 he announced plans for universal suffrage. In the first democratic elections in 1994, Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first Black president.
11) The Taco Bell Boycott
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers protested major buyers like Taco Bell to secure better wages and working conditions for tomato pickers.
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) formed in 1991 to protest exploitative conditions faced by migrant tomato pickers in Florida. Targeting large buyers rather than growers, the CIW launched a national boycott of Taco Bell in 2001 and pressured other retailers to change purchasing practices. After sustained campaigns and public pressure, Taco Bell agreed to buy only from growers who met improved wage and labor standards, winning better conditions for many farmworkers.
12) The NFL Boycott Movement
Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 to protest racial injustice and police violence, sparking calls for boycotts of the NFL.
In 2016 Colin Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem to protest racial injustice and police brutality. His action sparked a nationwide movement and calls for an NFL boycott from supporters who argued that reduced viewership would pressure the league. While NFL ratings dipped in 2017, declines were part of a longer trend and attributed to multiple factors. The effectiveness of the boycott in producing policy change within the league remains debated.
13) The North Carolina Boycott
A controversial “bathroom bill” provoked boycotts that cost North Carolina billions in lost revenue before the law was rolled back.
In 2016 North Carolina passed legislation that restricted protections for transgender people and regulated restroom access in public buildings. Businesses, sports organizations, and governments launched boycotts and canceled events, with dozens of counties, states, and cities restricting official travel to North Carolina. Economic losses mounted—estimated in the billions—until lawmakers rolled back parts of the law in 2017 in response to the sustained boycott and backlash.
14) The NRA Boycott
After the Parkland school shooting, activists urged businesses to cut ties with the NRA, leading several companies to end partnerships or funding.
Following the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, survivors and advocates called for boycotts of the National Rifle Association (NRA) to push for stricter gun laws. Student activists used social media to rally public support and urged companies to drop NRA endorsements or funding. Several businesses severed ties and retailers enacted new policies on gun sales, illustrating how consumer pressure can influence corporate relationships with advocacy groups.
These examples show how coordinated consumer action—often combined with nonviolent protest and organized campaigns—can create meaningful change, from local policy shifts to national and international reforms.