Sandy Doyle Anti-Vietnam War Strike Collection, 1969-2013

On April 30, 1970, President Richard Nixon announced the invasion into Cambodia, a further escalation of the Vietnam War. College campuses across the nation exploded with protest in response. Five days later, the Ohio National Guard killed four students and wounded nine others during an antiwar protest at Kent State University. These two events sparked a nationwide strike of both students and faculty at many colleges and universities.

At Northwestern, students initiated a strike the day after the Kent State shooting to demonstrate their anger and opposition to the war. Although they insisted the strike was not against the university itself, the students drafted a number of demands for the administration. They called on the university to open its stock profile for public viewing, divest from any companies that supported the war effort, disarm campus security, and end academic support for the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC).

Strike activities at Northwestern remained primarily peaceful. For the first several days, protesters erected a barricade that stretched across the intersection of Sheridan Road and Chicago Avenue, closing off traffic in front of the university. Students hosted regular speeches and demonstrations on Deering Meadow, and they canvassed the Evanston community to talk to residents about the strike. Many wore black armbands to demonstrate their sympathies with the strike. Northwestern students remained on strike for over a week before voting to return to class.

Sandy Doyle was a freshman at Northwestern where she studied education. She was an active participant during the strike and collected materials related to the students’ activities.