From the archives: University of Wisconsin students protest the Vietnam War
From the Throwback galleries series
The University of Wisconsin-Madison campus erupted in the late 1960s and early 1970s as tensions rose about the Vietnam War and other social issues. 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.
Outside chancellor's office
Students protesting outside the chancellor's office against Dow Chemical in February 1967.
Protesters interact with police
UW-Madison student protesters interact with police in Madison in February 1967.
Lincoln wearing gas mask
The Lincoln statue on Bascom Hill wears a gas mask and protest rally card placed there by students in October 1967.
Dow Chemical protesters on Library Mall
Hundreds of students gathered on Library Mall to protest Dow Chemical, the maker of napalm, in October 1967. Students were protesting the presence of Dow recruiters on campus and tried to block their path into UW's Commerce Building. Madison police forcibly removed them, beating protesters and using tear gas for the first time. The Dow riot was seen as a turning point in the anti-war movement that mobilized more students.
Nurse protests Dow, maker of napalm
A UW Hospital nurse and her daughter picket Dow Chemical on Oct. 17, 1967.
Arrest during Dow riots
Vicki Gabriner, in costume as part of a protest, was one of the first people arrested during the Dow riots on the UW-Madison campus in 1967.
Dow protester pulls down flag
A protester, later identified as Jonathan Stielstra, pulls down the U.S. flag atop Bascom Hall during protests against Dow Chemical on Oct. 18, 1967.
Protest poster about Dow riot
This poster show a large image of the Dow Riot (Oct. 18, 1967) on the UW-Madison campus, showing riot police beating protesters. It includes the Lyndon Baines Johnson quote: "Our foreign policy must always be an extension of this nation's domestic policy. Our safest guide to what we do abroad is a good look at what we are doing at home." The poster was printed by the Madison underground newspaper "Connections."
Using clubs on students
UW-Madison students clash with riot police during a campus demonstration to protest Dow Chemical's involvement in Vietnam. Here, several police officers with clubs hold a student down on the floor.
Dow riots on front page
Front page of State Journal from Oct. 19, 1967 with news of the Dow riots on campus.
Taping demands on Capitol door
UW protest leaders Paul Soglin, left, of Highland Park, Ill., and Ira Shor, Bronx, N.Y., tape their demands to the State Street entrance of the Capitol in October 1967 after a silent march from the campus by more than 1,700 student, faculty and teaching assistant protesters. The demands asked for an end to Madison police interference with university demonstrations, a continuation of the general class strike and that the university not take legal or disciplinary actions against demonstrators.
Soglin protests in '68
A young Paul Soglin (walking dogs) protests the draft with fellow students in May 1968.
Advocating for black studies
Protesters march down State Street toward the UW-Madison campus on Feb. 14, 1969. The protest called for an education "relevant to black people," including formation of a Black Studies department and more black black faculty.
Guard with bayonets
National guard members stand in formation with bayonets pointed at UW students, during a protest in February 1969 on behalf of African American students.
Using tear gas
Authorities use tear gas during protest on behalf of black students on Feb. 14, 1969.
Using clubs
Police use clubs on the crowd in February 1969.
Students block a jeep
UW students block a National Guard jeep with a mounted machine gun at a campus protest in 1969.
GE protest
Students protesting GE in February 1970.
Sterling Hall bombing
The Army Mathematics Research Center was the target when Sterling Hall was bombed just after 3 a.m. on Aug. 24, 1970. The bombing killed a young physics researcher, Robert Fassnacht, and has often been labeled the death of the peace movement.
Death in bombing
Dane County police and Madison firefighters carry the body of Robert Fassnacht, 33, from UW-Madison's Sterling Hall after the graduate student was killed in a bombing targeting the Army Math Research Center, which was in that building. Vietnam War protesters targeted the building.
Sterling Hall bombing on front page
Front page of the State Journal, the day after the bombing of Sterling Hall.
Tear gas on Bascom Hill
Tear gas explodes on Bascom Hill as police try to keep anti-war protesters from gathering in large groups in May 1971. Each time the crowd pushed up Bascom Hill, they were repelled by tear gas and advancing lines of police. After each flurry, both sides relaxed for as much as a half-hour at a time, enjoying what was otherwise a sunny, pleasant day.
Students confront riot police
Students confront riot police on the UW-Madison campus.
State Street protest
In May 1970, police and National Guardsmen turned back protesters with tear gas on lower end of State Street.
State Street protest march
Student protesters march down State Street towards the UW campus in protest of the Vietnam War.
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