The University of Illinois in the Cold War Era 1945-1975: Civil Rights on Campus

Academic Freedom and Free Speech at U of I

The Broyles’ Bills
Clabaugh Act (1947)
The Leo Koch Case
The Fight for Freedom of Speech and Expression in the 1960s

Student Life during the Cold War Era

The GI Bill and the U of I
Sex, Censorship, and the College Scene
Conservatives on Campus
The Black Athlete at the U of I
Women’s Athletics at the University of Illinois

Civil Rights on Campus

The Struggle for Integration in the 1940s and 50s
Affirmative Action at the University of Illinois
Project 500
Second Wave Feminism on Campus
Gay Rights on Campus
Latina/o Students at U of I

Vietnam War Protests

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at U of I
U of I students and the draft
1967 Protest-Sit-In against DOW Chemical
Publication of “Walrus”
October 15, 1969 Moratorium
March 1970 Rally Against GE
March Riots (1970)
May Student Strike (1970)

University Politics

The Rise and Fall of President George D. Stoddard
The U of I and the Defense Department
Surveillance, Discipline and the University of Illinois

Although the Cold War era brought repression and conformity, counter trends also emerged during the era that not only affected college students, but were often driven by them.  Energized by the Black civil rights movement, students and activists began to question racist practices and segregation locally and nationally, and adopted methods of protest.  By the late 1960s, the civil rights movement had strongly influenced other groups, which embraced its tactics.  Many protesters denounced corporate bureaucracy and arbitrary and autocratic higher educational environments.  Students across America engaged in acts of resistance to gain rights.