Campus Alert Archive
UW-Madison

Dow Day: Madison Police Club Anti-War Students in Commerce Building, First Vietnam-Era Campus Riot in America

WIcivil unrestemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On October 18, 1967, Madison city police officers with riot batons forcibly removed anti-war students from the Commerce Building at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where they had peacefully blockaded a Dow Chemical recruiting interview because the company manufactured napalm used in Vietnam. Police beat students bloody, deployed tear gas, and injured more than 70 people. The confrontation was the first Vietnam War-related protest at a university to end in police violence, and it became the pivotal event that radicalized the Madison campus and much of American campus anti-war activism.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
70
Institution
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Public R1 · WI
~34,000 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTother
Approximate reconstruction228 chars
Police are clearing the Commerce Building. Students are to leave the area immediately. University administration has called city police to restore order. All persons not directly involved should leave the Commerce Building area.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

On October 17, about 125 demonstrators had picketed peacefully outside the Commerce Building where Dow Chemical was holding job interviews; 15 to 20 people protested quietly inside without incident
On October 18, students packed a narrow hallway of the Commerce Building to block access to Dow's recruiting room; police were called when administrators could not persuade students to leave voluntarily
The protest against Dow Chemical focused specifically on the company's manufacture of napalm, a burning agent used by U.S. forces against civilians in Vietnam; protesters considered on-campus Dow recruiting to be university complicity in war crimes
UPDATESiren
Approximate reconstruction233 chars
A riot has occurred near the Commerce Building. Police remain on campus. All classes in the Commerce Building area are suspended. Students should avoid the Commerce Building and surrounding streets. Emergency services are responding.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

When police swung batons to clear the hallway, students inside and outside the building began retaliating with shouts and thrown objects; violence spread onto the surrounding campus grounds
Tear gas was used by Madison police, reportedly the first time tear gas had been deployed against anti-war protesters at a U.S. university; the gas spread to adjacent campus buildings and classrooms
More than 70 people were injured; 65 students required medical attention and 19 police officers were also treated; the brutality of the police response shocked even students who had not supported the blockade
Context

Background

The 1967 Dow Chemical protest at UW-Madison, known as 'Dow Day,' occurred when students blockaded job recruiting interviews by Dow Chemical in the Commerce Building. Dow manufactured napalm, a burning gel used against civilian and military targets in Vietnam, and students saw the university's hosting of Dow recruiting as institutional endorsement of the war. On October 17, protests were peaceful. On October 18, students packed a narrow hallway to block access to the interview room. When administrators could not persuade them to leave, they called Madison city police, who arrived with riot batons. What followed was a bloody melee: police clubbed seated protesters, students fought back, tear gas was deployed inside and outside the building, and violence spread across the campus. More than 70 people were injured. The Wisconsin Historical Society's Dow riot documentation and UW-Madison's commemorative archive mark the event as the first Vietnam War-related protest at a university to end in police violence. The violence of 'Dow Day' radicalized thousands of previously uncommitted Madison students and is widely cited as the formative event that transformed UW-Madison into one of the nation's most politically active campuses, setting the stage for escalating protests that culminated in the 1970 Sterling Hall bombing. No electronic mass notification system existed at UW-Madison in 1967; communication relied on word of mouth, posted notices, and radio.
Analysis

Key Findings

The October 18, 1967, Dow Day confrontation at UW-Madison was the first Vietnam War-related protest at a U.S. university to end in police violence, with more than 70 people injured
Madison city police used tear gas inside the Commerce Building and on the surrounding campus, reportedly the first use of tear gas against Vietnam-era protesters at a U.S. university
No electronic mass notification system existed at UW-Madison in 1967; communication relied on word of mouth, posted notices, and radio
Dow Day is widely cited by historians as the pivotal event that radicalized the Madison campus and set the stage for the 1970 Sterling Hall bombing
Outcome
More than 70 people were injured, including 19 police officers. No students were killed. The violence shocked the nation and helped transform UW-Madison into a leading center of anti-war activity. The incident directly contributed to escalating protests that culminated in the 1970 Sterling Hall bombing.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Source
    1967 Dow Chemical protest - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
  2. Source
    Dow riot (1967) - Wisconsin Historical Society
    wisconsinhistory.org
  3. Official
    October 1967: A Turning Point - UW-Madison
    1967.wisc.edu
  4. Source
    Dow Chemical Protests - Wisconsin Alumni Association
    uwalumni.com
  5. Source
    Police and Protesters - American Experience - PBS
    pbs.org
Tags
civil-unrestprotestvietnam-erapolice-riotpre-cleryno-alert-system1967historicalwisconsindow-chemicalanti-wartear-gasfounding-event
Added June 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion