1967 Dow Chemical protest

Student protest in Wisconsin, United States The Dow Chemical protest in 1967, was an incident at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where student protesters blocked people from accessing job interviews with Dow Chemical Company, who were recruiting on campus. The protesters were frustrated with Dow Chemical, because they were manufacturers of the napalm used by American forces in the Vietnam War. The student protesters were forcibly removed by police, and the incident became the first Vietnam War related protest at a university to end in police violence. The incident only inspired further anti-war protests at the University of Wisconsin, which continued for years to come.https://1967.wisc.edu/index.html#:~:text=Opposition%20to%20the%20Vietnam%20War,battlefield%20by%20the%20U.S.%20government. A Turning Point Six stories from the Dow chemical protests on campus 1967.wisc.edu University of Wisconsin https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS1705 Dow Riot (1967) 3 August 2012 wisconsinhistory.org Wisconsin Historical Society https://guides.library.illinois.edu/c.php?g=348250&p=2350897 The University of Illinois in the Cold War Era 1945-1975: 1967 Protest-Sit-In against DOW Chemical guides.library.illinois.edu University of Illinois Events In February 1967, student protestors held a sit-in, as an attempt to protest Dow Chemical's connections to the U.S. military.Herman Jennifer 2008 Wisconsin Encyclopedia https://books.google.com/books?id=iCEl1sqlZLQC&dq=dow+wisconsin+1967&pg=PA129 State History Publications 129–130 978-1-878592-61-3 The second round of anti-Dow protests began on October 17, 1967. After Dow recruiters arrived on campus in the early morning, around 200 student protestors gather in the Commerce Building to disrupt and block the recruiter's interviews. By mid-day the students became disorderly and pushed an interviewee, causing a police intervention. Around 200 more students arrived, and the police called for more officers. Police inform the protestors the assembly is unlawful, but only more students join the crowd. The police attempted to negotiate with the protestors but these talks failed. According to ROTC cadet Bob Lawrence, who was there at the time, "...protesters started chanting “Sieg Heil” and giving the Nazi salute to police officers. Many of the officers were World War II veterans. That was just not something you did. My dad was a World War II veteran, and I thought the protesters were crazy to do that. It caused the police to riot."https://1967.wisc.edu/profiles/bob-lawrence/index.html Bob Lawrence '69 '71 1967.wisc.edu University of Wisconsin 22 April 2025 There are differing accounts as to how the melee started, but eventually police and protestors began to battle. By the afternoon, an overwhelming police presence dispersed the crowd.https://1967.wisc.edu/timeline/index.html A Turning Point Timeline 1967.wisc.edu University of Wisconsin Legacy Many in the university faculty were shocked by the battle and voted for a resolution to ban calls for police to intervene in campus protests. Three days after the melee, students marched on the state capitol to protest the Vietnam War, Dow Chemical on campus, and police violence.Wynkoop Mary Ann 2017 Dissent in the Heartland The Sixties at Indiana University https://books.google.com/books?id=wimuDgAAQBAJ&dq=wisconsin+1967+dow+protest&pg=PA54 Indiana University Press 54 9780253026743 The university chancellor posted bail for all those arrested at the protest.Small Melvin 2002 Antiwarriors The Vietnam War and the Battle for America's Hearts and Minds https://books.google.com/books?id=Mhqma4MChNEC&dq=dow+wisconsin+1967&pg=PA56 Scholarly Resources 56 9780842028967 The Wisconsin state assembly eventually passed an ordinance demanding that all protestors be expelled.Anderson Terry 2024 The Sixties https://books.google.com/books?id=504HEQAAQBAJ&dq=dow+wisconsin+1967&pg=PT85 Taylor and Francis 9781040045367 The Dow Chemical protest is remembered by many alumni who witnessed it, as the moment that accelerated student protests at the University of Wisconsin. Many previous apathetic students, claimed to have become much more politically engaged after the protest.https://www.wpr.org/shows/morning-show/dow-day-protests-50-years The "Dow Day" Protests, 50 Years On 18 October 2017 wpr.org Wisconsin Public Radio After the Dow protest, protests at the University of Wisconsin campuses became more violent, with protesters often carrying clubs and smashing nearby windows.Heineman Kenneth 1994 Campus Wars The Peace Movement At American State Universities in the Vietnam Era https://books.google.com/books?id=yDoTCgAAQBAJ&dq=dow+wisconsin+1967&pg=PA130 NYU Press 130 9780814735121 References Category:1967 protests Category:February 1967 in the United States Category:Dow Chemical Company Category:Protests against the Vietnam War Category:Student protests in the United States