Class Year

2026

Document Type

Student Research Paper

Date of Creation

Fall 2024

Department 1

History

Abstract

Influenced by external events, major social movements, and the counterculture of the 1960s, Gettysburg College students increasingly demanded more out of their college. In the years 1963 and 1964, few students at Gettysburg College were interested in disrupting the status quo or questioning the college’s role as an authority figure. However, by 1968 and 1969, a growing number of Gettysburg College students demanded more of a voice in the college’s decision making process, fought to change unfair policies, and challenged the authority of the establishment. Some students began to organize demonstrations and protests in response to injustices they observed locally and across the world. Others moved away from the forces that had traditionally dominated student social life. This paper interprets this shift during the 1960s at Gettysburg College as a shift from student passivity to activity. It analyzes this shift by exploring the changing perceptions of women’s issues, contemporary events including the war in Vietnam, and Greek life.

Comments

Written for HIST 349: The United States since 1945

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License.

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