The History of 20th Century Protests & Social Action at UW-Madison

Compiled by Tyler C. Kennedy & David Null

The student body of the University of Wisconsin-Madison has a rich and diverse history of activism and protest. This site does not claim to be all-inclusive, but instead attempts to provide a representative selection of student protest throughout the twentieth century, using sources from the University Archives.

The University Archives has much more material on most of these events, including the full oral histories from which the sound clips were taken. The University of Wisconsin Collection includes digital copies of the 4 volume history of the university, plus many other useful sources. The Wisconsin Historical Society Archives also has strong collections on social action.

To see several hundred more protest images click on the link at the bottom of each of these pages.

For additional information, comments, suggested additions, etc., please contact the University Archives.

1910s-1920s

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

May 11, 1950	20 students picket the annual federal inspection of ROTC troops at Camp Randall, protesting compulsory ROTC. 18 of the students are put on disciplinary probation for the fall semester. Similar protests occur at other inspections in the early 1950s.
October, 1950	The Faculty Senate accepts the University Committee's “Report on the Human Rights of Students (pdf),” after amendments from the Board of Regents. The report was a revision of an earlier one from the Committee on Student Life and Interests (pdf) attempting to address racial and ethnic discrimination, particularly in housing, in the campus area. The Regents adopted a much more general statement on November 11, 1950. The University then moved to create a Commitee on Human Rights, which was established in January 1952.
May 13, 1951	Student groups invite Max Lerner and Senator Joe McCarthy to speak on campus. McCarthy, sponsored by the Young Republicans Club, was heckled off of the stage after likening Gen. Douglas MacArthur to Genghis Khan and the Capital Times to the Daily Worker. Read the Daily Cardinal editorial (pdf) from May 15, 1951.