The comparative study of student protests at drastically different universities and the success ofthose protests is significantly lacking from the historical record. The Vietnam era was a pivotal turning point in American university life, during which students across the country pushed for changes not only to the institutions of higher learning but also to the country as a whole. This historical comparative analysis utilizes significant primary source documentation to analyze how students and universities at the time dealt with the changes that were occurring in the university structure and the intrusion on university operations by outside actors, specifically the federal government. The findings of this research show that while the methods utilized and the goals set by the students of Columbia University led to a greater short-term success, the long-lasting impact of the protest and eventual shooting of Kent State University students had a greater cultural impact and caused greater systemic change in student life and university culture.
","abstract_html":"<p>The comparative study of student protests at drastically different universities and the success ofthose protests is significantly lacking from the historical record. The Vietnam era was a pivotal turning point in American university life, during which students across the country pushed for changes not only to the institutions of higher learning but also to the country as a whole. This historical comparative analysis utilizes significant primary source documentation to analyze how students and universities at the time dealt with the changes that were occurring in the university structure and the intrusion on university operations by outside actors, specifically the federal government. The findings of this research show that while the methods utilized and the goals set by the students of Columbia University led to a greater short-term success, the long-lasting impact of the protest and eventual shooting of Kent State University students had a greater cultural impact and caused greater systemic change in student life and university culture.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Kappaz, Eric"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"History and Philosophy","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Mary-Elizabeth Murphy, Ph.D.","Ashley Bavery, Ph.D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2025-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:53Z","subjects":["Columbia","Kent","Protest","Student","University","History"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1330","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Mary-Elizabeth Murphy, Ph.D.","Ashley Bavery, Ph.D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Kappaz, Eric"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-02-10T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["History and Philosophy"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Columbia","Kent","Protest","Student","University","History"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1330"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The comparative study of student protests at drastically different universities and the success ofthose protests is significantly lacking from the historical record. The Vietnam era was a pivotal turning point in American university life, during which students across the country pushed for changes not only to the institutions of higher learning but also to the country as a whole. This historical comparative analysis utilizes significant primary source documentation to analyze how students and universities at the time dealt with the changes that were occurring in the university structure and the intrusion on university operations by outside actors, specifically the federal government. The findings of this research show that while the methods utilized and the goals set by the students of Columbia University led to a greater short-term success, the long-lasting impact of the protest and eventual shooting of Kent State University students had a greater cultural impact and caused greater systemic change in student life and university culture.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["“One, two, three, four, we don’t want your fucking war”: The student protest movements at Columbia University and Kent State University during the war in Vietnam"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Mary-Elizabeth Murphy, Ph.D.","Ashley Bavery, Ph.D."],"dc:creator":["Kappaz, Eric"],"dc:date.available":["2026-02-10T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The comparative study of student protests at drastically different universities and the success ofthose protests is significantly lacking from the historical record. The Vietnam era was a pivotal turning point in American university life, during which students across the country pushed for changes not only to the institutions of higher learning but also to the country as a whole. This historical comparative analysis utilizes significant primary source documentation to analyze how students and universities at the time dealt with the changes that were occurring in the university structure and the intrusion on university operations by outside actors, specifically the federal government. The findings of this research show that while the methods utilized and the goals set by the students of Columbia University led to a greater short-term success, the long-lasting impact of the protest and eventual shooting of Kent State University students had a greater cultural impact and caused greater systemic change in student life and university culture.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1330"],"dc:subject":["Columbia","Kent","Protest","Student","University","History"],"dc:title":["“One, two, three, four, we don’t want your fucking war”: The student protest movements at Columbia University and Kent State University during the war in Vietnam"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["History and Philosophy"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:53Z"}