SDS & College Students
What kinds of protests or actions are shown?
The video and historical records from this era at Cornell showcase a diverse range of activism:
Teach-Ins: These were central to the Cornell experience, featuring massive gatherings in venues like Bailey Hall and Barton Hall where students and faculty engaged in marathon lectures and debates about the war's morality and politics [2.2], [3.1].
Draft Resistance: Specific high-profile actions included students, most notably Bruce Dancis, publicly destroying or returning their draft cards to protest the Selective Service System [2.1].
Rallies and Marches: Busloads of "Cornellians" were organized to attend large-scale national anti-war rallies in Washington, D.C. [2.1].
Building Takeovers: A pivotal moment featured in Cornell's history is the 1969 Willard Straight Hall takeover, where Black students occupied the student union to demand racial justice and a more relevant curriculum [1.1], [2.4].
Who is participating in these protests?
Participation crossed several demographic lines:
Students: The primary drivers were undergraduate and graduate students, many affiliated with Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) [2.1].
Faculty: Professors played a critical role, particularly in organizing teach-ins. Some faculty even engaged in "grade protests," giving all students A's to prevent them from losing their student draft deferments [2.1].
Community Members: Residents of Ithaca often joined students in rallies and local peace movements [2.1].
Veterans: Returning Vietnam veterans also participated, sharing vivid, harrowing accounts of the war to provide a counter-narrative to government reports [2.4].
How are the protests organized?
The organization was a mix of structured political groups and grassroots emotional response:
Leadership: Groups like the Cornell Vietnam Mobilization Committee and SDS provided the logistical backbone for creating signs, organizing transport, and coordinating speakers [2.1].
Clear Messaging: Protests used highly visible symbols like the peace sign and specific slogans targeting the draft, Dow Chemical (recruiters on campus), and the Pentagon [3.2].
Information Sharing: Activists utilized university facilities (sometimes ironically, using DOD-funded Xerox machines) to distribute flyers and educational materials [2.1].
How do these campus protests reflect the culture of the era?
The protests reflect a society deeply divided over authority and morality:
Questioning the "Establishment": The era was defined by a shift from "liberal protest" to "radical resistance." Students challenged the idea that the "greatest country in the world" could be involved in what they viewed as an immoral conflict [2.1], [3.3].
Intersectional Issues: The protests were rarely just about the war; they were inextricably linked to the Civil Rights Movement, racial equality, and the burgeoning women’s rights movement [3.1].
What lessons can be drawn about the role of students in change?
The role of students at Cornell demonstrates several key lessons:
Students as Moral Triggers: By putting their own lives and futures on the line (e.g., destroying draft cards), students forced the broader public to confront the human cost of policy [2.1].
The Power of Education as Activism: The "teach-in" model showed that academic spaces can be transformed into centers for political mobilization and alternative information [3.3].
Lasting Institutional Change: The dissent of the 1960s at Cornell directly led to the creation of new academic departments, such as the Women's Studies Program and ethnic studies programs, proving that student pressure can permanently reshape university structures [1.1], [2.1].