The Era of Generational Change

Carlynn Kinney, History 250: The Historian Craft, Fall 2019

An era of change in America, the Sixties were a time of transformation of the culture, life and society that Americans had been so accustomed to. The decade of expansion, reconstruction and revolution would bring the counterculture to the streets of the nation defining and setting the blueprint of modern-day America. With many societal perspectives changing during this time period it meant a dramatic change in political perspectives were changing as well. The fight for civil rights, the war on drugs and the anti-war movement defined the 60’s as a historic time period in the history of the United States of America. The historic 1968 election had a widespread impact on the country jumpstarting the emphasis on the anti-war movement on a national level. Prior to the turn of the decade, the University of Nebraska Lincoln had been consistent with its assumed political standing as a conservative campus. As times were changing with the generational shift, students from universities across the country were getting involved in anti-war movement. The University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL) would also get involved with the anti-war movement and in comparison, with other schools it wasn’t to such a large scale. However, there are some similarities with other universities and the small involvement that UNL had in the anti-war protests would still impact its campus.

The 1960’s in America began with a shift in generational perspectives transitioning from the “silent generation” to the “baby boomers”. With this change came many new societal perspectives with strong influences because of music, the rise in the importance of education, corruption in politics and government and the counterculture. Music highly impacted the 1960’s and brought forth and catered toward anti-establishment opinions and a type of attitude toward the idea of personal freedom in terms of civil rights, feminism and the sexual revolution that was expressed in the 1960’s. The many youth in America during the time period were considered to be a part of the “counterculture” which is the name given to the movement of the new generation that challenged what was assumed to be the norms of society. The United States entered the Vietnam War in 1955 which led to many protests and the resistance toward the United States unnecessary involvement in the war.

With the massive transition into a new era, a new change in national leadership was vital to the success of the nation. The 1968 presidential election at the time was one of the most important elections in the United States history because of all the historic events that were happening leading up to, during and what happened because of the election. Events such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the race to space, the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War.  Some of the biggest names during the 1968 election include but were not limited to; Eugene McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Robert Kennedy, George Wallace and Hubert Humphrey. Each candidate running for the nomination had their own way of trying to appeal to the masses. A common similarity of the democratic candidates was the attempt to attract younger voters. There was a large emphasis on the fact that America was transitioning to a new era, which meant that the votes of the youth were important. The torch was being passed and a time of changed was coming. There was a large calling from the younger generation to find a candidate that would meet the criteria they deemed important. Issues like the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement and the condition of the country’s economy were highlighted as the main issues. The race for the democratic nomination in the beginning was intense. Each person running for the nomination campaigned across the country vigorously, but eventually it dwindled down and the steam ran out. By November, the race was Nixon against Humphrey and Richard Nixon won the election. Nixon promised to bring peace and order to the country. It could be argued that his promises were left unfulfilled and left many Americans disappointed and that created a lack of trust in governmental authority. Instead of working to end the Vietnam War he continued the United States involvement by sending troops to Cambodia in 1970.[1]

After the election there was a lot of pressure on Richard Nixon from the people to end the Vietnam War. From draft protests, anti-war protests and sit-ins students across the country were using their first amendment rights as citizens to protest. The University of California Berkeley was one of the first colleges in the United States to protest the war in Vietnam and helped contribute the start of many student protests across the country.[2] The protests at Berkeley would begin as the civil rights movement protest and when the Vietnam War would reach its peak the attention turned onto protesting the war. In 1969, Berkeley would be home to a massive protest at People’s Park. People’s park used to be an abandoned lot until protesters turned it into a park.[3] President Reagan ordered the park to be shut down and had an 8-foot tall fence built around it to keep people out and a massive protest broke out. Over 3,000 people retaliated and in response 800 fully armed riot officers showed up and violence broke out.[4] one student was shot and killed, and another 128 protesters were hospitalized. Another main university involved in the student protests would be the University of Michigan where the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) would be founded[5] and SDS organizations would the begin to pop up at various college campuses and it even reached the University of Nebraska campus.

The student population at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1960 at the beginning of the decade was 8,711, by 1969 the student population had expanded to 19,618 students.[6] With a massive growth in the number of students at the University of Nebraska Lincoln many of the aspects on campus also expanded. With new dormitories, a new art gallery, new clubs and organizations to appeal to the demands of the changing culture on campus marked the 60’s as an important decade in terms of University life.

Opinions of students across the country on the Vietnam War were not positive and there were many students protesting the United States involvement in the war. Although the University of Nebraska did not immediately get involved in the anti-war movement, that changed when a graduate student Carl Davidson came to Lincoln and started the Lincoln chapter of Students for a Democratic Society in 1965.[7] SDS was an organization that was active across the country and on many campuses. The organization helped organize protests, participated in the civil rights movement and helped set up conversations on topics ranging from the importance of free speech to the Vietnam war. An article in The Daily Nebraskan stated “The war [Vietnam War] was hardly an issue at the University until it was adopted by SDS in autumn of 1965. In the fall of 1965 Carl Davidson, a Spangler arrived on campus as graduate students in philosophy and organized the Nebraska chapter of SDS.”[8] The SDS chapter at UNL was small and not as large as other chapters across the country, but that did not stop them from hosting talk-ins about the war on campus which were discussions between students, teachers and SDS members. SDS was recognized on campus but that did not mean that they were welcomed. An issue in The Summer Nebraskan wrote “SDS and other members of the New Left are not without criticism; they have been called communistic, anti-American, and unpatriotic”[9] In response to this SDS member Carl Davidson wrote a letter to the Daily Nebraskan, “There are two kinds of patriotism first, the kind that says “my country right or wrong” the second kind demands that we understand what the values of the country, not the present administration are. And it demands we analyze whether the present administration is honestly and consistently carrying out those values, then, this kind of patriotism demands that we must struggle to change the course of administration.”[10] This kind of reaction to unpopular opinions only proved that organizations like the SDS did not care about what was thought of them, only that they felt they had a purpose to fight what they deemed as unjust and to bring the fight wherever and whenever, even if it took them to a Midwest campus like the University of Nebraska Lincoln.

The fight did eventually come to the University of Nebraska Lincoln in 1970. President Richard Nixon had announced on April 30th, 1970 that United States troops entered Cambodia and it enraged the country. When students at the University of Nebraska Lincoln found out about this, it was decided that their voice should join the mass of others and this was the turning point on campus when the students of UNL decided to get involved in the war protests. When UNL students marched to the local draft board office and requested them to stop for the day, the Lincoln police broke up the protest and arrested 13 people.[11] After this, students would then march to the ROTC building and eventually nearly 1,800 people participated in the ROTC sit-in. After a few hours the people who led the protest had a list of demands they wanted met. On campus throughout the time period of the Vietnam War there where many small protests and all were mostly peaceful but the sit in at the ROTC building was the largest and could have had the most consequences had it escalated into something more like the Kent State shooting. Eventually the situation was resolved within 24 hours with little consequences to the students who had protested. The Board of Regents at the University of Nebraska Lincoln “determined the actions of students related to the draft board protest, ROTC building takeover and student strike were “improper”; said the participation of one faculty member was improper…”[12]

The backlash of the ROTC sit in protest was small but UNL faculty member Steve Rozman was fired for his contribution to the protest which was another domino in the series of national news. This case would make it to the Supreme Court. Many students and faculty members disagreed with the decision to terminate professor Rozman and believed that “… what the Regents were doing was repressive plus the students had no say in the affairs, but were affected by the decisions of the Regents”[13] Steve Rozman would bring his case to a federal court to sue so that he could be reinstated. It was ruled that the consequences that he suffered because of the situation were allowed by the University and Rozman would not get his contract renewed. He would appeal the decision but the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling of Judge Warren Urborn.[14] 

Because of the heightened political environment during the late 1960’s and throughout the 1970’s UNL campus had also become a heightened political environment. During this time multiple organizations such as Afro-American Collegiate Society (A-ACS), The Association of Students of the University of Nebraska (ASUN), Human Rights Committee (HRC), Nebraska Draft Resistance Union (NDRU) and many more were created during this stressful time period to get students involved and to try and make a difference and impact on the society around them. Each club and organization had its own purpose and even though most of the clubs were small it didn’t matter. For example, SDS had only 35 members “There are 35 members of SDS at the University of Nebraska according to Davidson, but he added that many more work for and with SDS. “We are not interested in building up numbers” Davidson said.”[15] The term “small but mighty” might be used to describe the student activist clubs on campus during this time because even though small in size the impact they had on shaping the culture at the University was strong.  For example, ASUN which was formed during this time period is still a student organization on campus today. ASUN’s purpose has remained the same, but it’s size and impact and its ability to be involved in real issues on campus has grown massively and it would not have been possible had it not been for the student activism that happened during the Vietnam war and the civil rights act.

Comparing the statistics between Universities that were heavily involved in the anti-war movement to the University of Nebraska Lincoln, it can be decided that UNL had a small impact and wasn’t as highly involved, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t important. As George Eliot would say “Great things are not done by impulse but by a series of small things brought together.” So even if UNL’s involvement was small, it contributed to a bigger purpose. The fight for the protection of free speech even reached a small Midwest university and although some negative things resulted directly from the protesting on campus, in the long run it has added to some good. Change is inevitable. Depending on the people in society, change can be positive or negative and it can be used to make a change for better or for worst. The 60’s and 70’s were a heightened time period for America and called for a lot of change. Even though some of attempts to create a change in society ended with negative consequences, in the long run, some good came from it. The political climate during the Vietnam war had a widespread impact on America. Many people across the country were getting involved at many different levels. The University of Nebraska Lincoln’s involvement in the anti-war movement put the University on the map on a national level along with other schools like Kent State, Berkeley, Cornell University and many more from coast to coast. The politics and the anti-war movement impacted the culture and student life at the University of Nebraska Lincoln whilst distinguishing the switch to a new era. The change in generational perspectives, allowed change on campus. With the expansion of campus to new clubs and organizations being founded, all contributed to the future of the University of Nebraska Lincoln.

Endnotes

  1. History.com Editors. “Nixon Orders Invasion of Cambodia.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, May 30, 2012. https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/nixon-orders-invasion-of-cambodia-video.
  2. Gonzales, Richard. “Berkeley's Fight for Free Speech Fired Up Student Protest Movement.” NPR. NPR, October 5, 2014. https://www.npr.org/2014/10/05/353849567/when-political-speech-was-banned-at-berkeley.
  3. Rolling Stone. “Flashback: Ronald Reagan and the Berkeley People's Park Riots.” Rolling Stone, June 25, 2018. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/flashback-ronald-reagan-and-the-berkeley-peoples-park-riots-114873/.
  4.  Rolling Stone. “Flashback: Ronald Reagan and the Berkeley People's Park Riots.” Rolling Stone, June 25, 2018. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/flashback-ronald-reagan-and-the-berkeley-peoples-park-riots-11473/.
  5. Riggs, William W. “Students for a Democratic Society.” Students for a Democratic Society. Accessed December 10, 2019. https://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1201/students-for-a-democratic-society.
  6. “Nebraska U.” Omeka RSS. Archives of the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Accessed December 3, 2019. http://unlhistory.unl.edu/exhibits/show/universityexpansion/students.
  7. Nebraska U. Accessed December 10, 2019. http://unlhistory.unl.edu/xslt/xslt.php?&_xmlsrc=http://unlhistory.unl.edu/legacy/unl.00021/unl.00021.05.xml&_xslsrc=http://unlhistory.unl.edu/xslt/unlhistory.xsl.
  8. Anderson, Carol. “Pendulum Swings in Dissent at NU.” The Daily Nebraskan. October 13, 1969. https://nebnewspapers.unl.edu/lccn/sn96080312/1969-10-13/ed-1/seq-4/#words=SDS.
  9. Robertson, Barb. “New Left Represented at NU .” The Summer Nebraskan. July 19, 1966. - https://nebnewspapers.unl.edu/lccn/sn96080312/1966-07-19/ed-1/seq-3/#words=Communist communistic Communists SDS.
  10. “SDS: An Infantile Disorder?” The Daily Nebraskan. October 4, 1967. https://nebnewspapers.unl.edu/lccn/sn96080312/1967-10-04/ed-1/seq-4/#words=Carl Davidson Davidson's.
  11. Tobias, Mike. "We had to do something": Vietnam protests at UNL and one tense week in 1970, September 20, 2017. http://netnebraska.org/article/news/1095577/we-had-do-something-vietnam-protests-unl-and-one-tense-week-1970.
  12. Tobias, Mike. "We had to do something": Vietnam protests at UNL and one tense week in 1970, September 20, 2017. http://netnebraska.org/article/news/1095577/we-had-do-something-vietnam-protests-unl-and-one-tense-week-1970. 
  13. “Nebraska U.” Omeka RSS. Accessed December 3, 2019. http://unlhistory.unl.edu/exhibits/show/1970-1979/students/protests.
  14. Knoll, Robert E. Prairie University: a History of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press : Alumni Association of the University of Nebraska, 1995. https://books.google.com/books?id=QtVFWVTRDGIC&pg=PA155&lpg=PA155&dq=steve rozman supreme court case&source=bl&ots=gJryCnLKHP&sig=ACfU3U0pqN9DjfNMmhpBw_TpZADNZOEbOw&hl=en&ppis=_e&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiJu_aAhZnmAhUBQ60KHdeWDsIQ6AEwEXoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=steve rozman supreme court case&f=false.
  15. Robertson, Barb. “New Left Represented at NU .” The Summer Nebraskan. July 19, 1966. - https://nebnewspapers.unl.edu/lccn/sn96080312/1966-07-19/ed-1/seq-3/#words=Communist communistic Communists SDS.

Works Cited

  • Anderson, Carol. “Pendulum Swings in Dissent at NU.” The Daily Nebraskan. October 13, 1969. https://nebnewspapers.unl.edu/lccn/sn96080312/1969-10-13/ed-1/seq-4/#words=SDS.
  • Gonzales, Richard. “Berkeley's Fight for Free Speech Fired Up Student Protest Movement.” NPR. NPR, October 5, 2014. https://www.npr.org/2014/10/05/353849567/when-political-speech-was-banned-at-berkeley.
  • com Editors. “Nixon Orders Invasion of Cambodia.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, May 30, 2012. https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/nixon-orders-invasion-of-cambodia-video.
  • Knoll, Robert E. Prairie University: a History of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press : Alumni Association of the University of Nebraska, 1995. https://books.google.com/books?id=QtVFWVTRDGIC&pg=PA155&lpg=PA155&dq=steve rozman supreme court case&source=bl&ots=gJryCnLKHP&sig=ACfU3U0pqN9DjfNMmhpBw_TpZADNZOEbOw&hl=en&ppis=_e&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiJu_aAhZnmAhUBQ60KHdeWDsIQ6AEwEXoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=steve rozman supreme court case&f=false.
  • “Nebraska U.” Omeka RSS. Accessed December 3, 2019. http://unlhistory.unl.edu/exhibits/show/1970-1979/students/protests.
  • “Nebraska U.” Omeka RSS. Archives of the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Accessed December 3, 2019. http://unlhistory.unl.edu/exhibits/show/universityexpansion/students.
  •  Riggs, William W. “Students for a Democratic Society.” Students for a Democratic Society. Accessed December 10, 2019. https://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1201/students-for-a-democratic-society.
  • Robertson, Barb. “New Left Represented at NU .” The Summer Nebraskan. July 19, 1966. - https://nebnewspapers.unl.edu/lccn/sn96080312/1966-07-19/ed-1/seq-3/#words=Communist communistic Communists SDS.
  • Rolling Stone. “Flashback: Ronald Reagan and the Berkeley People's Park Riots.” Rolling Stone, June 25, 2018. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/flashback-ronald-reagan-and-the-berkeley-peoples-park-riots-114873/.
  • “SDS: An Infantile Disorder?” The Daily Nebraskan. October 4, 1967. https://nebnewspapers.unl.edu/lccn/sn96080312/1967-10-04/ed-1/seq-4/#words=Carl Davidson Davidson's.
  • Tobias, Mike. "We had to do something": Vietnam protests at UNL and one tense week in 1970, September 20, 2017. http://netnebraska.org/article/news/1095577/we-had-do-something-vietnam-protests-unl-and-one-tense-week-1970.
The Era of Generational Change