Days of Rage demonstrations
The Days of Rage demonstrations were a series of protests orchestrated by the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the Weathermen, intended to coincide with the trial of the Chicago Seven, who were charged in connection with antiwar protests during the tumultuous 1968 Democratic National Convention. These demonstrations, which took place in October 1969 in Chicago, aimed to express opposition to the Vietnam War and to ignite a revolutionary movement against perceived imperialism. The initial gathering saw about eighty Weathermen and approximately five hundred supporters rallying in Lincoln Park, where tensions quickly escalated into vandalism and clashes with law enforcement.
The protests drew significant media attention and public outrage, particularly after a city attorney was severely injured during subsequent demonstrations. Although the immediate violence subsided, the events marked a turning point for the SDS, leading to its decline, while the Weathermen continued their activism underground. The Days of Rage are remembered as a critical moment in the history of antiwar activism in the United States, reflecting the complex dynamics of the era and the challenges faced by protest movements.
Days of Rage demonstrations
Date: October 8-11, 1969
Four days of intense anti-Vietnam War protest in Chicago’s Lincoln Park. The event was never intended to be peaceful.
Origins and History
The Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the Weathermen planned a massive demonstration, four Days of Rage, to coincide with the trial of the Chicago Seven, antiwar activists who had been arrested and charged with conspiracy for their part in protests surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The demonstration was designed to be a political statement against the Vietnam War and start the next American revolution.
On October 8, 1969, eighty Weathermen gathered in Chicago’s Lincoln Park to force U.S. troops to withdraw from Vietnam and to start a revolution that would end imperialism worldwide. Approximately five hundred demonstrators, flying the Viet Cong flag, listened to speakers in the park. The mob became angry the evening of October 8, and vandalism of businesses and cars escalated as the demonstrators marched the streets. When the protesters reached Lake Shore Drive, the police contained and arrested them. The National Guard was alerted the next day. The violence subsided, only to flare one more time on the weekend. Richard Elrod, a Chicago city attorney, was severely injured during this second march. The citizens of Chicago were outraged at the riots; most of the demonstrators left town after the attorney was injured.
Impact
The SDS, already fractionalized, died a natural death after the riots. The Weathermen, although suffering from a lack of faith from many former supporters, continued their resistance by going underground and eluding law enforcement officials.
Additional Information
Allen J. Matusow describes the encounter and the resultant loss of power of the Students for a Democratic Society and the Weathermen in The Unraveling of America: A History of Liberalism in the 1960’s (1984).