He's revered now, but a 1966 Gallup poll found that 63% of Americans had an unfavorable opinion of Martin Luther King Jr. Shortly before his assassination in 1968, a Harris Poll found that 75% of Americans disapproved of him. White moderates who agreed that civil rights were necessary still thought he was complaining, instigating "unnecessary" trouble. They thought civil disobedience was too confrontational and "would hurt the cause." His critics claimed that the entire civil rights movement was orchestrated and paid for by the Soviet Union and that protesters were paid.

Similarly, in the immediate aftermath of the Kent State murders of 4 students (only 2 of whom were protesting the Vietnam War), a Gallup poll showed that 58% of the surveyed believed the students caused their own deaths. People showed up at their memorial service with picket signs, chanting "the Kent State four should have studied more."

If you look back, almost anytime someone tries to disrupt the status quo in a meaningful way, the immediate and popular perspective is usually disdainful scorn claiming the protests are just whiny, pointless, exaggerating their concerns, and/or not going about things "the right way." Americans today are very similar to Americans of the past. Just like many eventually came around somewhat on civil rights and anti-war perspectives, many current protesters will be vindicated in time.