To stand outside a workplace or public building with signs to protest working conditions, wages, or policies, often during a strike. As a noun, it refers to the protesters themselves or the protest activity.
Originally from French 'piquet' meaning a pointed stake used in military fortifications. By the 1840s, the term was applied to workers who 'stood guard' outside factories during labor disputes, creating a metaphorical barrier against strikebreakers.
Picketing became an iconic image of worker solidarity during the Great Depression, when desperate workers carried signs reading 'We Want Work' and 'Fair Wages.' The sight of picketing workers outside factories became so powerful that it inspired folk songs and influenced public opinion about labor rights throughout the 20th century.
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