The Vietnam War inspired student protests against U.S. actions on many college and university campuses, which often ended in violence between student protestors and campus or local municipal police. The University of South Carolina did not experience the degree of violence that many campuses faced. The combination of a number of student concerns, including opposition to the war and reaction to events on other campuses, such as the death of four students at Kent State University in Ohio, led to a series of student protests in May of 1970. Here, USC students listen to speeches by activists arrested after a "teach-in" at the Russell House. One student wears a gas mask in protest.
Courtesy of "The State" newspaper.
Standards
- 5.4.CE Analyze the causes and impacts of social movements in the U.S. and South Carolina.
- This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into civic engagement, such as military service, public demonstrations, and political activism, to shape the identity of modern South Carolina. This indicator was also written to encourage inquiry into South Carolinians’ use of the court system and legislation to affect South Carolina’s post-World War II identity.
- This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into how different party platforms evolved following World War II. This indicator promotes inquiry into how the major parties came to represent different approaches to fiscal and political governance as well as social and judicial policies.
