10 Student Activism

Almost every social and political movement in the 1960s can be rooted in the movement and progress of the educated youth. College students of that generation are responsible for the civil rights, women’s rights and gay liberation movements. Demanding to be heard by the public and government officials, the educated youth had a voice in every social shift and every political maneuver throughout the 1960s. Joe felt that such participation on student activism was necessary and that it helped to change the nation’s views. His speculation of why this activism came about is that the higher level of education that that generation was given allowed them to better understand and formulate personal morals, ethics, beliefs and understanding of how the country should be run.

One of the most memorable and infamous moments in the history of student activism is the shootings at Kent State University. This tragic event involved a large protest of Kent State University students against the American invasion of Cambodia. The National Guard was called to keep the crowd under control but the soldiers ended up shooting fifteen students, killing four of them. Joe can recall the national response being one of aggression toward the government’s actions and sympathy for the students’ mission. He claims the event was a huge wake-up call for the nation’s adults because they know any one of those kids could have been their own. It truly opened the eyes of whoever hadn’t noticed the student’s involvement in our nation’s policies.