The Vietnam war lasted from November of 1955 until April of 1975; it was the longest war in American history and resulted in an estimated 1.2 million deaths of US military, allies, and Vietnamese civilians. The Vietnam War is known as the most highly criticized war in US history, and the US government came under intense scrutiny for continuing a practically meaningless war. Leading the charges of protest were college students and a new left movement; the students at the University of Illinois joined in the movements against the US government showing multiple demonstrations of protest against an institutionalized war machine.
Demonstrations and protests on campus primarily took place in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. These demonstrations and acts of protest ranged from public demonstrations to underground publications opposing the war. Both students and faculty played active roles in setting harnessing power and voices against the war. Various student and faculty organizations gathered together to protest the war in a variety of creative ways.
Student Organizations
The beginning of Vietnam opposition began with the University of Illinois chapter of Students for a Democratic Society. The SDS was a nationwide organization that had various sub-chapters across college campuses; the SDS was a group specifically focused on developing demonstrations and acts of protest against the Vietnam war. In 1965, the SDS put on a series of “Teach In’s” for fellow students. These teach ins, which would continue over the next few years, were group meetings meant to educate students on the truth about the Vietnam war, with the goal of sparking more opposition to the war. In September of 1965, the SDS held a nationwide conference, that brought together hundreds of New left members. The conference was said to create a mass feeling of solidarity within the movement and a great sense of community and purpose. The Students for a Democratic society opened the doors for the formation of other Vietnam activist groups on campus.
The Dubois Club was formed in 1966 by Ralph Bennet and was considered somewhat controversial at the time. The club was associated with communist ideas during a time in which communism was seen as the largest threat to our democracy. The cold war was, quite literally, a war of communism vs. democracy, so a club such as the Dubois club was not welcomed by the university with open arms. The Dubois club’s ideals and ideas were in strong opposition with the school board and surrounding residents of the U of I. For this reason, the Dubois club never fully gained official recognition as a campus organization and was the subject of intense debate for many months.
Protests
One of the largest demonstrations on the U of I campus was against DOW chemical in 1967. DOW chemical had come under the microscope for their involvement in the development of chemical weapons that were being used overseas in Vietnam, killing many civilians. The DOW had, and continues to have to this day, very strong connections at the U of I for their investments and research in agricultural development. The strong influence of DOW has U of I sparked a protest of 200 students occupying the steps of Roger Adams Laboratory. The protest was peaceful and symbolic; however, it did lead to the explosion of 7 students. Despite the issues DOW had at the time, it continues to have strong ties to U of I and recruits many interns every year from the college of ACES.
Later on, in October of 1969, 9,000 people, including U of I students and faculty, marched to Westside park in a peaceful demonstration to rally support for anti-war efforts. The rally heard speakers such as Lee Weiner, William Clark, and Eartha Kitt.
Despite these large peaceful demonstrations, not all of the anti-war protests at U of I were peaceful. In February of 1970, the ROTC lounge was firebombed. Later in the day, two more firebombs were found in Altgeld hall. State police and National Guard were called in as a result of the incidence and enforced a curfew. The incidences with the firebombs resulted in further demonstrations by hundreds of students; these demonstrations were eventually broken up by police and resulted in multiple arrests and a few injuries.
In the years following the 1970 demonstrations, there were several more protests, sit-ins, and liberation movements. Many of these protests were against military recruitment events or attempts on campus. These demonstrations continued through 1972 and involved thousands of students, dozens of whom were arrested or suspended. The protests stretched beyond just anti-war activism and came to include black rights protests as well.
Walrus
Students were creative in their methods of protest. One of the most well-remembered outlets for student voices was the creation of the Walrus, an underground newspaper that consisted of political commentary, cartoons, and opinions, about liberal issues. The issues ranged from black rights to environmental to anti-war and included every issue in between. The walrus was a very far left publication and was known to demonize soldiers who had served in the war. Because it was an underground publication, U of I had no say in what could and couldn’t be published. The newspaper was run entirely by and for students. The newspaper began in 1968 and continued to publish through the 70’s.