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High School Students Unite!: Teen Activism, Education Reform, and FBI Surveillance in Postwar America
Mid-twentieth-century student activism is a pivotal chapter in American history. While college activism has been well documented, the equally vital contributions of high school students have often been overlooked. Only recently have scholars begun to recognize the transformative role teenagers played in reshaping American education.
High School Students Unite! highlights the crucial impact of high school activists in the 1960s and 1970s. Inspired by civil rights and antiwar movements, students across the nation demanded a voice in their education by organizing sit-ins, walkouts, and strikes. From cities such as San Francisco and Chicago to smaller towns such as Jonesboro, Georgia, these young leaders fought for curricula that reflected their evolving worldviews. Drawing on archival research and interviews, Aaron G. Fountain Jr. reveals how teenagers became powerful agents of change, advocating for constitutional rights and influencing school reform. Ironically, the modernization of school security, including police presence, was partly a response to these student-led movements. Through oral histories and FBI records, this fascinating history offers a fresh perspective on high school activism and its lasting impact on American education.
High School Students Unite! highlights the crucial impact of high school activists in the 1960s and 1970s. Inspired by civil rights and antiwar movements, students across the nation demanded a voice in their education by organizing sit-ins, walkouts, and strikes. From cities such as San Francisco and Chicago to smaller towns such as Jonesboro, Georgia, these young leaders fought for curricula that reflected their evolving worldviews. Drawing on archival research and interviews, Aaron G. Fountain Jr. reveals how teenagers became powerful agents of change, advocating for constitutional rights and influencing school reform. Ironically, the modernization of school security, including police presence, was partly a response to these student-led movements. Through oral histories and FBI records, this fascinating history offers a fresh perspective on high school activism and its lasting impact on American education.
- GenresHistory
398 pages, Paperback
Published December 2, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 1, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC!
Prior to reading this book, I knew nothing about U.S. high school activism (and, honestly, my knowledge about U.S. activism in general is fairly limited - my focus generally lies on the East Asia region). Thus, I appreciated Fountain's work, and the effort it must have taken to find the material, conduct the interviews, and even figure out where to start. He mentioned requesting several thousand (if I remember correctly? or several hundred?) files from the FBI, and I can only imagine the effort that takes, as well as the dedication.
This effort and thoroughness is reflected well in the book, which delves into the history of student activism across the United States, no small feat considering how isolated many of the student organisations were. While there were some regional or national alliances, most of the activism was local, which must have made it even more difficult to even find out about the events, let alone collect enough information to give the detailed accounts he gives in this book.
I also appreciate that the author not only focuses on student solidarity, but also dedicates space in this book to talk about the tensions that existed within the movement, especially when it came to matters of race and racial tensions. It does make me wonder how much (if any) space was given to, for example, disability activism, or feminism (which was mentioned briefly at times, but not enough to satisfy my curiosity).
Generally, I think this is a very good account of high school students' activism in the 1960s and 70s, with very thorough documentation of the sources and events. I would recommend it to anyone who's looking to learn more about how high school students mobilised back then, the issues they focused on (oftentimes similar, but not identical, to the ones that college students focused on), and the repression and consequences they faced.
Prior to reading this book, I knew nothing about U.S. high school activism (and, honestly, my knowledge about U.S. activism in general is fairly limited - my focus generally lies on the East Asia region). Thus, I appreciated Fountain's work, and the effort it must have taken to find the material, conduct the interviews, and even figure out where to start. He mentioned requesting several thousand (if I remember correctly? or several hundred?) files from the FBI, and I can only imagine the effort that takes, as well as the dedication.
This effort and thoroughness is reflected well in the book, which delves into the history of student activism across the United States, no small feat considering how isolated many of the student organisations were. While there were some regional or national alliances, most of the activism was local, which must have made it even more difficult to even find out about the events, let alone collect enough information to give the detailed accounts he gives in this book.
I also appreciate that the author not only focuses on student solidarity, but also dedicates space in this book to talk about the tensions that existed within the movement, especially when it came to matters of race and racial tensions. It does make me wonder how much (if any) space was given to, for example, disability activism, or feminism (which was mentioned briefly at times, but not enough to satisfy my curiosity).
Generally, I think this is a very good account of high school students' activism in the 1960s and 70s, with very thorough documentation of the sources and events. I would recommend it to anyone who's looking to learn more about how high school students mobilised back then, the issues they focused on (oftentimes similar, but not identical, to the ones that college students focused on), and the repression and consequences they faced.
April 18, 2026
The social upheavals of the 1960s are widely known and documented, but the focus is often on college campuses.
High school students were also a part of this movement, largely overlooked in coverage both at the time and afterward. I was one of those students and so was particularly happy to read Aaron Fountain's thorough history of the period. He covers people and events I knew and remember, always quite accurately. And he covers much that I was unaware of at that time, when long-distance communication was so much harder.
The Vietnam War and the draft were of course the focus of many protests, and are well covered. (The term "Vietnam War," though well established, hides the fact that the U.S. also launched extensive attacks on Cambodia and Laos. Civilians were not just unintentional casualties; they were regularly targeted. A secret 9-year bombing campaign by the U.S. made Laos the most heavily bombed country, on a per-capita basis, in world history. Few people knew that then, or now.)
Civil rights was another issue that came to a head, in society at large and also in high schools, where many teenagers took the initiative to call attention to racist and prejudicial policies. In Brooklyn, the African American Student Association organized with others to call for a "African American Friday" boycott that drew thousands citywide. Fountain documents this and many other stories, often interviewing participants. He also covers the focus on students' rights, and the rising awareness of sexism.
A half century later, Aaron Fountain sought out many participants and his book draws on numerous first-hand accounts. No one is likely to repeat this: Many participants have already died, documents saved for decades eventually get lost, memories have faded. All of us who value that history can be grateful for his thorough history of the period. But don't just take my word for it. The book was one of five finalists for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in History.
High school students were also a part of this movement, largely overlooked in coverage both at the time and afterward. I was one of those students and so was particularly happy to read Aaron Fountain's thorough history of the period. He covers people and events I knew and remember, always quite accurately. And he covers much that I was unaware of at that time, when long-distance communication was so much harder.
The Vietnam War and the draft were of course the focus of many protests, and are well covered. (The term "Vietnam War," though well established, hides the fact that the U.S. also launched extensive attacks on Cambodia and Laos. Civilians were not just unintentional casualties; they were regularly targeted. A secret 9-year bombing campaign by the U.S. made Laos the most heavily bombed country, on a per-capita basis, in world history. Few people knew that then, or now.)
Civil rights was another issue that came to a head, in society at large and also in high schools, where many teenagers took the initiative to call attention to racist and prejudicial policies. In Brooklyn, the African American Student Association organized with others to call for a "African American Friday" boycott that drew thousands citywide. Fountain documents this and many other stories, often interviewing participants. He also covers the focus on students' rights, and the rising awareness of sexism.
A half century later, Aaron Fountain sought out many participants and his book draws on numerous first-hand accounts. No one is likely to repeat this: Many participants have already died, documents saved for decades eventually get lost, memories have faded. All of us who value that history can be grateful for his thorough history of the period. But don't just take my word for it. The book was one of five finalists for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in History.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews