Confrontations between police and students went on for several hours, and there was considerable damage. — part 2, Who is a better quarterback: Peyton Manning or Tom Brady? The Faculty Senate passed a resolution to reinstate the students until a hearing could be held, but Sowle rejected it. Your intimidation is a form of violence.” The students eventually left the restaurant and made a couple more stops before being met by the police who asked the students to return to the College Green, where students continued to gather until late at night. It was a … At Harvard Law School, professor Alan Dershowitz taught a class on legal ways to resist the draft. document.write("") They demanded he to act upon seven of their proposals, which called for new classes on “the military industrial complex” and other topics, within twenty-four hours or the students threatened to “close the University down physically since it is already closed down academically.” More than 100 student and faculty marshals were placed around the university with the specific instructions to watch for “suspicious characters and happenings.” Athens police banned the use of gasoline in containers in order to stop acts of arson. The Vietnam War was the longest war the country was engaged in. To some Americans, the protests were seen as chaotic and harmful. On that day, students were participating in a protest against the United States' invasion of Cambodia (an offshoot of the Vietnam War effort that spawned … ";s"+screen.width+"*"+screen.height+"*"+(screen.colorDepth? 4,000 students took part in a rally in the Grover Center. [25] That night, Yippie Jerry Rubin and civil-rights lawyer William Kunstler spoke to an audience of 8,000 at University Hall, a large auditorium not far from the university's historic center in Charlottesville, encouraging students to close down universities nationwide. Protests of both kinds took place at the University of Dayton. There was a firebombing at the ROTC supply room in Peden Stadium, which caused an estimated $4,000 damage. But what caused the government to pay attention was the college campus protests which included teach-ins, rallies, workshops, marches, blockades, sit-ins, flag-lowering, draft-card turn-ins, and symbolic funerals. The Guardsmen were armed with tear gas and M-1 rifles (Galt 65-67). In his remarks, Sowle spoke in favor of peaceful discussions at OU and offered to help facilitate them. Twenty-six students were treated for injuries. [21] In the words of one anonymous student protestor, “Ohio University had to close.” “It was necessary, almost inevitable, that the University close for the simple reason that for the last ten years students and others have been peacefully protesting the war in Vietnam and where has it got them—into Cambodia.”[22], UNC had reputation in the state, particularly among conservatives, as a center of liberalism and activism. The students wanted to find ways to keep the university open but still have peaceful protests and discussions. That's not student protest, that's civil war'. On the day of the protest, administrators told the students to remove the armbands or they would be suspended. Nixon had been trailed by White House Deputy for Domestic Affairs Egil Krogh, who saw it differently than Karnow, saying, "I thought it was a very significant and major effort to reach out. [13], On May 6, over 2,500 people participated in a “March Against Murder”. By May 4, the Yale Daily News announced that it didn't support involvement in the students strikes occurring across the nation. [30] Consequently, fifty protestors visited the News offices and called the editors fascist pigs. "' alt='' title='LiveInternet' "+ In contrast to the noisy student protests, Administration supporters viewed themselves as "the Silent Majority" (a phrase coined by Nixon speechwriter Patrick Buchanan). Sowle tried to negotiate with the group but was shouted down and left after more rocks were thrown. In one instance, in New York City on May 8, construction workers attacked student protesters in what came to be called the Hard Hat Riot. Looking back, few incidents in this cycle of more war and more protest aroused the nation as did the horrendous incident on May 4, 1970. Here's a look back at what the campus and city looked like during several years filled with protests and violence such as the Dow Chemical riot and the Sterling Hall bombing. In the 1960’s, colleges across the U.S. saw the rise of Vietnam War protests. The first organised protests against the Vietnam War took place in both New York and Philadelphia during August 1963. A spirit of protest spread throughout society. The problems began when the students started to yell and taunt and throw bottles and bricks at the Guardsmen. The same day Taylor Culbert, Vice President of Academic Affairs, read aloud a speech to the gathered students written by OU President Claude Sowle. 50 years ago, 'Dow Day' left its mark on Madison . [25] Shannon had been presented with a list of nine demands from the Student Council, led by its first African American president, James Roebuck. Kingman Brewster, Jr. was Yale's president at the time; he had recently risen in popularity among the student body for his tacit support of students' activism in support of fair trials of accused Black Panther Party members. The strike began May 1, but increased significantly after the shooting of students at Kent State University by National Guardsmen on May 4. [8] Nationwide, students turned their anger on what was often the nearest military facility—college and university Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) offices. Students occupied Athens businesses, nearly thirty of which closed. As opposition to the Vietnam War grew, protests erupted in communities and college campuses across the United States. In many ways the student protests at the University of Wisconsin mirrored those taking place on campuses across the country. [28], The student-led Richmond College (now the University of Richmond) Senate adopted a resolution condemning Nixon's move into Cambodia. The student strike of 1970 was a massive protest across the United States, that included walk-outs from college and high school classrooms initially in response to the United States expansion of the Vietnam War into Cambodia. Campus protests that started after President Nixon announced the invasion of U.S. troops in Cambodia turned violent with the burning of the campus ROTC building. After two hours of discussion, the group walked around the residence greens in a “solidarity march”. Anti-Vietnam Protests; Anti Vietnam Protests. [23] The Cold War, with its rampant anti-communism rhetoric, raged during the fifties and sixties. Lots of people refused to go. [19], On the night of May 13, a group of about 350 students met at Baker Center to discuss President Sowle’s suspension of seven students for creating a “clear and present danger” on campus. Higher education. The student protests provoked supporters of the Vietnam War and the Nixon Administration to counter-demonstrate. In April of 1969, over a span of two weeks, students at Harvard University who were opposed to the Vietnam War and its Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) presence on campus began to protest. Also, students tried to get Athens businesses to close. Only the resistance of FBI head J. Edgar Hoover stopped the plan. Scranton was asked to study the dissent, disorder, and violence breaking out on college and university campuses.[31]. The strike began May 1, but increased significantly after the shooting of students at Kent State University by National Guardsmen on May 4. [9] Walkouts and protests were reported by the National Strike Information Center at over 700 campuses across the country, with heavy concentrations in New England, the Midwest, and California. The University has a responsibility to protect the rights of those students who wish to attend class as much as your right not to attend classes.” The students at the rally agreed to hold a “March Against Death” the following day. Student reporting at the time argued that a new Alumni Association was being founded directly in response to strike supporters' activities in an effort to ensure that conservative donors continued to give to the university. The group then moved to Cutler Hall, where rocks and bricks were thrown through building windows. Intrigued by this look at Vietnam War protests? [16], On Saturday, May 10, COIA members met with President Sowle about cancelling classes on Tuesday for a campus discussion on national problems, but he refused to do so. "statcounter.com/counter/counter.js'>"); (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The Vietnam War was the longest war the country was engaged in. While many violent incidents occurred during … It took the Athens fire department an hour to put the fire out. All told, 30 ROTC buildings went up in flames or were bombed. Vietnam War: Student Activism Campus unrest is one of the most-remembered aspects of the Vietnam War era. One of the most tragic examples is Kent State in Ohio ("The Violence of the Antiwar Movement"). On April 30, 1970, President Nixon announced the expansion of the Vietnam War into Cambodia. It lasted from 1965 to 1973. These protests usually were peaceful and included such things as burning draft cards, fleeing to Canada or some other country to escape the draft, protest rallies and marches, or simply remaining enrolled in college to avoid the draft. "); //-->, The establishment of the Han Dynasty in China, The plight of Israeli and Palestinian children caught in the middle of conflict, The state should force the mentally ill into treatment even if they are not an imminent threat to themselves or others, Will President Obamas National Health Care Reform be effective? So Mayor Satrom called in the Ohio National Guard to contain the protesters ("The Violence of the Antiwar Movement"). Primary. At the end of 1965, several high school students in Des Moines, Iowa, decided to protest against American bombing in Vietnam by wearing black armbands to school. The anti-war movement began, causing tensions, and the civil rights movement was beginning with its new found leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. "In a sense, the War in Vietnam could be described as a two front war-a war in Vietnam with war being waged with tanks, guns, and bullets-and a "war at home" fought on the streets and campuses throughout the nation (Introduction). On May 4, during protests at Kent State University, Ohio, four student demonstrators were killed by National Guardsmen; and at Jackson State College, Mississippi, two students were killed by police. He stated, “We will protect the freedom of those who want to go to class. Most of the businesses they approached were already closed. These protests were attended by American pacifists commemorating the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of the Second World War. Vietnam War; Protests; Dow Chemical; College-education; University Of Wisconsin; Uw-madison; Riot; Napalm; Chemical Weapons; Students; Sit-in; Related to this collection. On May 4, poorly trained National Guardsmen confronted and killed four students while injuring ten other by bullets during a large protest demonstration at the college. There was also a bomb threat that led to the evacuation of Woolworths. The Vietnam War was right about at its peak of American involvement. George S. Bain ’73 recounts the march and two alumni reflect on that transformational period. Four students were killed and nine wounded by the Ohio National Guard, the violent culmination of four days of protest. Oct 8, 2017; 6 min to read. Several thousand students crowd into Sproul Plaza on the University of California-Berkeley campus in protest of the university's business ties with apartheid South Africa on April 16, 1985. Hundreds of colleges and universities were also engaging in actions to protest the expansion of the Vietnam War. An OU professor who was in the restaurant asked the students, “What is to gain by shutting down the stores. ";"+Math.random()+ The president said that he was “glad” that the COIA requested the meeting and that they would meet again in the next twenty-four hours. P1996 Vietnam War Protest Collection, 1969-1973 Manuscript Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul Description: This archival collection consists of flyers, leaflets, posters, petitions, newsletters, newspapers, and other printed matter centered on the protest movement against the Vietnam War (1969-1973) in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Protests against the Vietnam War did not start when America declared her open involvement in the war in 1964.America rallied to the call of the commander-in-chief and after the Gulf of Tonkin incident it became very apparent that few would raise protests against the decision to militarily support South Vietnam. Those 4 students killed were: Allison Krause, 19 years old; Sandra Scheuer, 20; Jeffrey Miller,20; and William Schroeder,19 (Kifner). Four days earlier, President Nixon had extended the war across the Vietnam border for the first time. Finally, check out some of the most incredible Woodstock photos that will transport you back to 1969. Athens police fired tear gas at the group of students, and they fired rocks, bricks, and other objects at police and downtown stores. In its editorial, the Yale Daily News warned that "radical rhetoric and sporadic violence, such as marked the weekend demonstrations at Yale, only added fuel to the ‘demagoguery of Richard Nixon, Spiro Agnew, John Mitchell and the other hyenas of the right. The violence started around 11:05pm when approximately 800 students broke away from a larger, campus gathering and attempted to move into the downtown area. Confrontations between students and the police went on throughout the night. Conservative elements in the country began to view the anti-war movement with more distaste. Nobody knew who though (Galt 65-67). The peaceful protest “marked the climax of a two-day ‘student strike’ on campus.” Following the march, students held sit-ins and marches on Athens streets. FBI investigators were called in to investigate the firebombing. Beginning in May of 1965, students protested and discussed the war in every way imaginable. '"[30], The protests and strikes had a dramatic impact, and convinced many Americans, particularly within the administration of President Richard Nixon, that the nation was on the verge of insurrection. "": [20], In the early morning of May 15, President Sowle, following a second night of violence, announced the closing of Ohio University for the remainder of the term and requested the National Guard be sent to Athens. Nixon "treated them to a clumsy and condescending monologue, which he made public in an awkward attempt to display his benevolence." The administration also banned two out of three speakers scheduled to speak at a rally sponsored by the Athens Peace Committee (APC), which was to be held at the Grover Center on Monday night. The demonstration opposed the U.S. bombing of neutral Cambodia during the Vietnam War, in which more than 58,000 Americans died. It lasted from 1965 to 1973. In the spring of 1970 a group of about 300 students marched from campus through the streets of Schenectady to protest the Vietnam War. — part 1. Congress reacted to the Cambodian invasion by repealing the Tonkin Gulf Resolution. Many store windows were broken. In, var sc_project=10544674; Some went to jail. [29] In the lead up to protests over involvement in Cambodia, Brewster urged students not to participate in the strikes and protests and continue going to class as usual, as Yale students had been boycotting classes to join the national student strike against the invasion of Cambodia. College campus protests began peacefully with teach-ins. As historian Stanley Karnow reported in his Vietnam: A History, on May 9, 1970 the President appeared at 4:15 a.m. on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to discuss the war with 30 student dissidents who were conducting a vigil there. If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website. The tragic outcome of student protests at Ohio's Kent State University in 1970 made it the most reported campus event of the Vietnam War era. When the 300 National Guardsmen arrived the students were shocked to see them arrive in army trucks and jeeps with guns. [6], As a direct result of the student strike, on June 13, 1970, President Nixon established the President's Commission on Campus Unrest, which became known as the Scranton Commission after its chairman, former Pennsylvania governor William Scranton. [17], On May 11, an outbreak of more violence threatened to close the university. Still, he made it clear that the administration would not tolerate acts of violence. Seven students were arrested. It began on the College Green and traveled past the Athens County Selective Service Office and the National Guard Armory. But eventually protesters got tired of waiting for change and they began to turn toward violent protests (Campus Unrest). After the incident, Americans had little sympathy for those students who were killed. On October the 21 st, 1967, almost 100,000 people marched on Washington, D.C. to peacefully demonstrate around the buildings of the Pentagon in protest against the war in Vietnam.Then a Magnum photographer, Marc Riboud documented proceedings. We tried, but we failed.” A few hours later, the first of 1500 National Guardsmen began to arrive in Athens. There were violent clashes between students and police at 26 schools and National Guard units were mobilized on 21 campuses in 16 states. Needless to say, anti-war sentiment among students and professors ran high. However, even peaceful protests sometimes turned violent, as United States involvement in the Vietnam War divided the American people. However, we must leave the opportunity for those who want to attend class.”[14], On May 7, the protests grew more confrontational and violent. Other protests targeted local concerns. A university vehicle was firebombed and destroyed. [25], On May 13, 1970, 3,000 Virginia Tech students protested and 57 participated in a hunger strike. 2,500 students voted in favor of the strike. UNC found itself the focus of verbal attacks by conservative commentators like future senator Jesse Helms, an executive at Raleigh's WRAL-TV who finished each night's local news with virulent editorials and viewed the campus as a den of Marxists. Read about the student protests against the Cold War in the 1960s. var sc_security="e1afa103"; Sowle praised the protesters for the lack of violence, but he said he would not close down the university for the strike. Students at New York University, for example, hung a banner out of a window which read "They Can't Kill Us All. Timeline: Vietnam War and Protests From the Collection: Vietnam War. Vietnam War Protests May 1965 College students played an indispensable role in the anti-Vietnam war movement during the 1970s, and UCSB was no exception. The protesters were protesting the presence of the ROTC on campus ("The Violence of the Antiwar Movement"). Someone had a TV in his room on the fourth floor of West College, a freshman floor, and that’s where we watched President Nixon’s speech that Thursday … var scJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? Significant protests also occurred at the University of Maryland,[3] the University of Cincinnati, and Princeton University. document.write("