A History of Campus Protests

1. Set Focus
Pose this essential question: How can protest lead to political change?

2. List Vocabulary
Share some of the challenging vocabulary words in the article. Encourage students to use context to infer meanings as they read.

• converge (p. 19)
• fascism (p. 19)
• tangible (p. 19)
• incensed (p. 21)
• radicalization (p. 21)
• civic (p. 21)

3. Engage
Before students read, go through the article and read the title of each section. Have students share what they know, if anything, about each political movement. Revisit this discussion after the lesson, having students share new insights they’ve gained.

4. Read and Discuss
Ask students to read the Upfront article about the history of student protests. Review why the article is a secondary source. (It was written by someone who didn’t personally experience or witness the events.) Then pose these critical-thinking questions and ask students to cite text evidence when answering them:

• Who were the Greensboro Four and the Freedom Riders? How did each group help contribute to the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act? (The Greensboro Four were college students who began the sit-in movement by refusing to leave a segregated lunch counter. The Freedom Riders were Black and White college students and others who rode buses together to protest bus segregation. The attention gained by both groups galvanized support for the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibited segregation at businesses and on public transportation.)

• What led to the Free Speech Movement? How did the movement help bolster protests over the Vietnam War? (Campus administrators stifled free speech by closing off the part of campus where student-run political groups advertised their causes. The Free Speech Movement’s successful effort to get their area back helped society understand that college students were adults with free speech rights. The movement also led to expanded free speech rights on other campuses, which helped to bolster the protests against the Vietnam War.)

• What impact did the student protests over the Vietnam War have on the Nixon administration? What other social change did it lead to? (Student protests helped lead the Nixon administration to speed up troop withdrawal from Vietnam. It also led to the passage of the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age to 18.)

• What actions did American students take to protest against apartheid in South Africa and why? (American students demanded that universities sell their investments in companies that did business in South Africa. Some students built shanties that resembled the housing of poor Black South Africans. Students wanted people to know that American companies were supporting a repressive regime.)

5. Use the Primary Sources
Use the Primary Source: Project, distribute, or assign in Google Classroom the PDF ‘The Shrill Squeaking of People,’ which features a letter from author John Steinbeck to President Lyndon Johnson. Discuss what makes the letter a primary source. (It provides firsthand evidence concerning the topic.) Have students read the letter and answer the questions below (which appear on the PDF without answers)..

• Why did Steinbeck write to President Johnson? How would you describe Steinbeck’s tone in his letter? (Steinbeck is writing to Johnson to thank him for meeting with him and to discuss Steinbeck’s son joining the Vietnam war effort. He also wishes to reassure Johnson regarding the war protests and to express his support for the war. His tone can be described as friendly, serious, and reassuring.)

• Which wars does Steinbeck allude to? Explain how you know. (Steinbeck alludes to the Revolutionary War (“Mr. Adams’ and George Washington’s war”), the War of 1812 (“General Jackson” “selling beef to the British”), the Civil War (“Mr. Lincoln’s war”), and World War I (“Mr. Wilson’s policy”).

• How does Steinbeck characterize war protesters throughout history? (For each war, Steinbeck characterizes the protesters (Tories, Copperheads, etc.) as disloyal and unpatriotic. He refers to their protests as “the shrill squeaking of people who simply do not wish to be disturbed.”)

• What can you infer from this letter about Steinbeck’s opinion of the Vietnam War? How does his letter reflect the divide Americans felt over the war? (Steinbeck feels that the war in Vietnam was justified and honorable because the wars he mentioned are generally seen as having just causes and beneficial outcomes that were important for the development of America as a nation. His characterization of the war is different than how protesters would describe it, which reflects the divide Americans felt over the war.)

• Based on the Upfront article, what might the Vietnam protesters mentioned in the article say in response to this letter? Would they agree with Steinbeck? (Students’ answers will vary, but should be supported with evidence from the text. They may point out that student protesters would not agree with Steinbeck for a variety of reasons, including his grouping the Vietnam War in the same category as the other wars he mentioned, or his dismissive attitude toward Vietnam protesters, who see their protests as exercising their free speech rights.)

6. Writing Prompt
Take on the persona of a student protester for any of the movements in the article. Write  a letter to the U.S. president at the time, explaining what you are protesting and why.

7. Quiz
Use the quiz to assess comprehension.

8. Classroom Debate
Do campus administrators have the right to limit student free speech? 

9. Diving Deeper
In small groups, select one of the student protest movements in the article and do additional research on a major figure involved in the movement. Report your findings to the class. Include images, video, and other media in your presentation.