Turbulence in the 60's

Conant’s irenic vision did not survive the troubled sixties, which saw a vigorous national opposition to the Viet Nam war, an energized civil rights initiative, an increased racial, ethnic and gender self-consciousness, triggered initially by the black students’ movement, and a prolonged attack on university traditions of teaching and governance, which included not only peaceful demonstrations but also student strikes, sit-ins and various forms of intimidation and violence. Nathan Pusey, Conant’s successor as President of Harvard, gained instant notoriety by calling in the police to break up a student demonstration and terminate a prolonged sit-in.