UP AGAINST THE WALL, MOTHER******! THIS IS A STICK-UP! Perhaps nothing upset our enemies more than this slogan. To them it seemed to show the extent to which we had broken with their norms, how far we had sunk to brutality, hatred and obscenity. Great! The New York Times put forward three interpretations of the slogan, the only one of which I remember is the one which had to do with putting the administration up against the wall before a firing squad-apparently our fascistic 'final solution'. The truth is almost as bad: the slogan defined Grayson Kirk, David Truman, the Trustees, many of the faculty, and the cops as our enemies. Liberal solutions, 'restructuring', partial understandings, compromise are not allowed anymore. The essence of the matter is that we are out for social and political revolution.
             Mark Rudd - SDS Columbia Chapter Chairman and one of the leaders of the Strike
             In the spring of 1968 students at Columbia University participated in a controversial series of demonstrations designed to disrupt the ongoings at the university. The Columbia Revolt was original and unique at this point in history. It was the most bold and disruptive protest up until that time. It was the first at an Ivy League institution. It led the way for many protests at universities during the era. It represented the spread of student opposition to the war and racial injustice. It also represented the growing cynicism students felt about whether or not change would actually happen within the political system (May 1). The protest thus resulted in a more disruptive form of protest designed to really stir things up at the All-American college campus. This protest was a message to the American people that the future super elite were willing to reject their place in the world in order to make change. It was a higher level of aggressiveness for the movement of the time, it was a higher level of student protestor tha...