Chronology Of Events

1960

Spring

Students for a Democratic Society founded.

1962

June

SDS issues 60 page Port Huron Statement, which calls for an alliance of blacks, students, peace groups, liberal organizations and publications—to bring about a progressive "realignment" of the Democratic party.

1963

June

SDS approves the document America and the New Era. which criticizes the inadequacy of the Kennedy Administration's New Frontier program to solve the problems of disarmament, social justice, and racial equality. As an alternative to collaboration with liberal groups, the document calls for the independent organization of emerging insurgent forces within the civil rights, peace, and student movements.

December

SDS sets up the Education Research Action Project (ERAP), consisting of local community

organizing projects aimed at poor whites and blacks in ten Northern cities.

1965

April

SOS organizes the first national anti-Vietnam war march in Washington, drawing over 15,000 people, most of them students. In the following three months, the number of local chapters triples to well over 100 and the national membership of SDS grows to several thousand.

October

Carl Oglesby, then president of SDS, openly attacks corporate liberalism in a speech at an anti-war march in Washington.

1966

August

SDS National Convention at Clear Lake, Iowa, calls for a "student power" strategy and re-emphasizes the need to do political work on the campuses.

December

SDS pushes radical draft resistance as the dominant thrust of its political organizing. It also calls on its campus chapters to protest or disrupt appearances of representatives of the military-industrial complex.

1967

June

At the SDS National Convention in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a "new working class" perspective is counterposed to the Progressive Labor party's stress on the industrial working class being the crucial agency of revolution.

1968

April-May

Columbia University is occupied by black and white students. The demonstrators were able to close the campus in protests attacking University expansion into the black community of Harlem, C.I.A. funded and supported research institutes and programs, and University subservience to the interests of large corporations. Mark Rudd, later to emerge as a major leader of Weatherman, becomes nationally prominent for his role in the Columbia revolt.

June

At the SDS National Convention in East Lansing, Michigan, PL can only muster a minority of delegates. Outright conflict develops between PL and the rest of SDS. The majority of the delegates at the convention stand up, raise their clenched fists, and chant "PL Out."

October

At the SDS Boulder, Colorado, National Council (NC) meeting a major PL-WSA resolution on student-labor action projects (known as the SLAP proposal) is rejected.

December

At the Ann Arbor, Michigan, NC, PL-WSA demonstrates that it is gradually gaining ascendency by winning passage of its resolution on racism. The RYM resolution, "Toward a Revolutionary Youth Movement," is passed. The resolution is presented by a group operating out of Chicago which included Mike Klonsky (then National Secretary of SDS) and Les Coleman (from Chicago Region SDS). It is supported by a number of people who later were to set up Weatherman, including Bernardine Dohrn, Jim Mellen, Mark Rudd, Bill Ayers, John Jacobs, and Howie Machtinger.

1969

March

At the Austin, Texas, NC, the anti-PL forces reverse the PL resolution on racism passed the previous December. The SDS alliance with the Black Panther party is substituted for the overturned PL resolution. Internal differences are beginning to emerge within the group favoring the RYM resolution passed the previous December.

June 18-22

The SDS National Convention in Chicago witnessed the PL-SDS split. The RYM II statement is presented as a refinement of the original RYM resolution by the same people who had authored the original RYM proposal. The "Weatherman" statement ("You Don't Need A Weatherman ... ") also is presented by those who were to emerge as leaders of Weatherman. Weatherman is elected to control of the SDS National Office, with Jeff Jones, Mark Rudd, and Bill Ayers filling the top three positions.

Summer

SDS summer programs in Michigan and Ohio develop as proto-types of Weatherman collectives.

August 29-September 1

A three day mass meeting was held in Cleveland to build support for the upcoming SDS National Action, during which Bill Ayers gave a major speech.

September 3

Weatherman action in Pittsburgh organized and led by women.

September 24

The "Conspiracy 8" trial opens in Chicago. A violent Weatherman action takes place outside the courthouse, resulting in 19 multiple felony arrests of Weatherman.

October 8-11

The SDS National Action takes place in Chicago. The Weatherman "Days of Rage" result in the arrest of hundreds of Weatherman activists and major felony indictments, both local and federal, against Weatherman leaders.

October 29

Bobby Scale is gagged during the "Conspiracy 8" trial.

December 4

Black Panthers Fred Hampton and Mark Clark murdered by Chicago police.

December 27-30

Weatherman "National War Council" takes place in Flint, Michigan.

1970

March 6

Greenwich Village, New York, town house explosion in which Ted Gold, Diana Oughton, and Terry Robbins are killed.

April 3

Twelve Weatherman are indicated by a federal grand jury on 13 counts (one count each for crossing state lines intending to incite a riot and one count of conspiring to do the above).

April 15

Linda Evans and Dianne Donghi are arrested by the F.B.I.

May 21

The Weatherman underground issues its first communiqué.

May 9

The New York City police headquarters is bombed. Weatherman takes credit in its second communiqué from underground.

July 23

Thirteen Weatherman are indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiring to engage in acts of terrorism and sabotage against police stations and other institutions.

July 26

Weatherman underground issues communiqué #3 in response to Justice Department indictments.

July 27

A branch of the Bank of America is bombed in New York for which Weatherman takes credit.

September 15

The Weatherman underground issues its fourth communiqué. Dr. Timothy Leary issues major statement from the underground after his escape from prison.