Student Movement

What was the student movement?

The student movement was a left-wing crusade which wanted to transform American society. It focused on perceived social, political and economic injustices of the time.

When did the student movement develop?

The student movement began to gain momentum at the end of the 1960s and in the early 1970s.

Why did the student movement develop?

There were 4 key reasons the student movement developed:

• ❖ Students wanted a greater say in their education at college and university.
• ❖ Students wanted a form of participatory democracy in which people had more say in politics and more control over decisions made by the government.
• ❖ Students wanted to end racism and fight for civil rights.
• ❖ Students were against the Vietnam War.

Why did the student movement oppose the Vietnam War?

The student movement against the Vietnam War grew for 8 key reasons:

• ❖ Media coverage turned people against the war.
• ❖ 12 per cent of soldiers that fought in the war ended up either dead or seriously injured. The number of amputations was approximately 300 per cent higher than in the Second World War.
• ❖ The average age of an American GI killed in Vietnam was 23.
• ❖ 2,000,000 men were forced to fight in Vietnam between 1964 and 1972 as a result of the draft.
• ❖ Leading figures like Martin Luther King and Muhammad Ali highlighted issues of racial inequality in the US forces.
• ❖ People did not like the corruption and brutality of the South Vietnamese government as it was undemocratic.
• ❖ Even politicians began to question the war, which was distracting the government from pressing domestic issues like education and healthcare.
• ❖ The USA was losing against the Vietcong. Events like the Tet Offensive and My Lai Massacre brought this home to the American people.

How did students and hippies protest against the war in Vietnam as part of the student movement?

Examples of protests and demonstrations included:

• ❖ 500,000 people came together in Washington on 15th November, 1969, to listen to speeches and songs about ending the war. It was the biggest anti-war protest in US history.
• ❖ Hippies protested by rejecting the traditional American way of life. Not working or going to school, growing hair long and taking illegal drugs was seen as a rejection of government and authority.
• ❖ Student protests became increasingly violent and there were many clashes with police.
• ❖ In August 1970, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Wisconsin, a bomb was detonated by student protesters. One person was killed and several others injured.
• ❖ In May 1970, there were protests at the Kent State University which resulted in the deaths of 4 students.

Why did the student movement gain media coverage?

The protestors were a small minority of the 8.5 million students in the US, but they attracted a lot of media interest because most of them were white, middle-class, and outwardly rejecting the values of their parents' generation.

What did the Students for a Democratic Society do in the student movement?

There are 5 key facts to note about the Students for a Democratic Society:

• ❖ It was a student activist organisation, led by Tom Hayden, that grew to 3,000 members on 80 campuses by 1965. By the end of the decade it had over 100,000 members in 150 colleges.
• ❖ It held its first meeting in 1960. It released a statement called 'Port Huron', which set out its aims to campaign against racism and war, and in support of human rights.
• ❖ It participated in civil rights protests and campaigned for better students' rights in universities and colleges. It also protested against university rules.
• ❖ It grew considerably because students greatly opposed American involvement in the Vietnam War.
• ❖ It split into different groups by 1969 due to internal disagreements.

What was the Weatherman student movement?

There are 4 key facts to note about the Weatherman movement:

• ❖ It was a radical student group created in 1969 when the Students for a Democratic Society collapsed.
• ❖ It was willing to incite and use violence to stop the Vietnam War and create a revolution.
• ❖ It was responsible for several acts of domestic terrorism, including bomb attacks between 1970 and 1971 in New York, Boston and Washington.
• ❖ The members of the group were hunted by the FBI.

What was the significance of the student movement to the Vietnam War?

The student movement was significant as it was a key factor in the eventual withdrawal of US forces from Vietnam.