Interview with Beth Wortzel

Partial Transcript: "So, Beth, if you'd just kind of like to start..."

Segment Synopsis: Beth was aware of the demonstrations but did not participate in them. She was walking between classes when she walked by the Commerce Building and ran into the end of the demonstration. She did not understand what was happening until hearing about the aftermath of the protests later. Beth states that the aftermath of the Dow Demonstrations “mobilized her resistance” towards the Vietnam War.

Keywords: Commerce Building; Dow Chemical Company; Dow Demonstrations; Vietnam War; mobilization; napalm; radicalization

Partial Transcript: "So, did you really realize what was happening?"

Segment Synopsis: Beth saw that the protest was chaotic but did not know that the police were clubbing and beating students until after the demonstrations. She asked a classmate to explain the situation to her.

Keywords: Commerce Building; Dow Demonstrations; Vietnam War; police brutality; student activism; tear gas

Partial Transcript: "And what was, kind of, when Dow was here..."

Segment Synopsis: Beth was aware of the theory behind anti-war activism and understood the nature of protest, but before the Dow Demonstration, she had “held back” against activism. Her father was a member of the US Department of State.

Keywords: Dow Chemical Company; Napalm; Passive Resistance; US State Department; Vietnam War; anti-war; student activism

Partial Transcript: "I always - I went, for example, shortly after..."

Segment Synopsis: Beth went to see a large rally and signed up to protest as a monitor for her boyfriend at the time. She did not want a leadership position but was happy to be a “member of the crowd” for the rest of her academic career.

Keywords: Paul Soglin; leadership; passive resistance; protest; student activism

Partial Transcript: "Do you have anything else to add..."

Segment Synopsis: Beth's identity as an American shifted. Her stance against the Vietnam War put her at odds with her father, but she considers her anti-war activism to be a formative, “ripple effect”-like experience in her future with progressive activism. She believes that the polarization of the Vietnam War Era parallels the polarization of today’s political climate. She believes that many students on both sides of the political spectrum self-radicalized and forgot what “core American values” were.

Keywords: Dow Demonstrations; Vietnam War; activism; anti-war; family; identity; patriotism; progressivism; radicalization

Partial Transcript: "You know, you talked a little bit about..."

Segment Synopsis: Beth and her friends continued to debate issues surrounding the War and activism. The intellectual climate of the university supported these discussions, and Beth counters the media’s depiction of protestors as “rioting.” She believes that the demonstrations turned her towards looking at other issues in society and opened up a more broad progressive discussion on campus.

Keywords: Dow Demonstrations; UW Madison; Vietnam War; anti-war; communication; progressivism; protests; riots; student activism