ON THIS DAY IN UNITED STATES HISTORY
October 8, 1969
The "Day of Rage" Riots Begin in Chicago
On this day in 1969, the "Day of Rage" riots began in Chicago by a faction of the Students for a Democratic
Society. The protest was over what the group considered to be American imperialist actions in Vietnam.
What the group hoped to do was "turn the imperialist war into a civil war", however it didn't turn out to be the
big event they had hoped. Instead of the 25,000 protestors they expected, only a few hundred showed up.
That night, the group charged through the streets of Chicago, smashing windows in police cars and buildings,
including luxury businesses as well as those of lower-middle-class homes. The action lasted less than an hour with
the police arresting 68 of the protestors, however other actions occurred over the next couple days.
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