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| Weathermen logo |
Published inwards the xviii June 1969 edition of the SDS’s paper New Left Notes, “You Don’t Need a Weatherman to Know Which Way the Wind Blows ... ” (a lyric borrowed from Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues”) was the founding disputation of the Weathermen organization.
In the seat piece, the Weathermen emphasized the primary importance of attacking U.S. imperialism past times supporting dark liberation inwards the United States; recognized the dark community every bit an oppressed “colony” inside the United States; stated that socialism would necessarily supercede capitalism 1 time the electrical flow U.S. scheme was overthrown; held that working amongst reform movements inwards a united front end was counterrevolutionary; as well as pledged back upwardly to all struggles for self-determination inwards colonial environs.
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Three days after publication, at the 1969 Students for a Democratic Society National Convention, the SDS dissever apart every bit the Weathermen faction expelled the Maoist Progressive Labor bloc as well as allied amongst around other faction, the Revolutionary Youth Movement II (RYM II).
In Oct 1969, vowing to “bring the state of war home,” the Weathermen took to the streets of Chicago to demonstrate against the state of war inwards Vietnam, demo back upwardly for the Black Panther Party, as well as to testify solidarity amongst all political prisoners, peculiarly Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton as well as the Chicago 8 (later 7), who were on trial for conspiracy to incite riots during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
The Weathermen had hoped that tens of thousands of youths would descend upon the Windy City as well as “tear the motherfucker apart.” However, from 8 to 12 October, the “Days of Rage,” entirely several hundred revolutionaries, donning helmets as well as carrying clubs, rampaged through the streets, vandalizing belongings as well as clashing amongst police.
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| Days of Rage |
When the actions, which began amongst the Weathermen’s bombing of the Haymarket law statue, had ended, at that topographic point were a full of 284 arrests (40 felonies) amongst bail charges inwards excess of $1.5 million. In addition, fifty-seven law officers had been hospitalized as well as over $1 1000000 inwards damages had resulted.
In Dec 1969, the Weathermen convened a “War Council” inwards Flint, Michigan. In the wake of the depression turnout during the “Days of Rage,” the council came to a determination that attempting to gear upwardly a large-scale white revolutionary forcefulness was fruitless as well as that street-fighting tactics were every bit good costly for the organization. Instead, the Weathermen decided to become tube as well as engage inwards a clandestine, armed struggle inwards back upwardly of dark militants as well as national liberation movements.
By Feb 1970, all remaining members (several hundred at this point) of the Weathermen had gone tube as well as formed small-scale cells of iii to 5 people that were committed to armed action. On 7 March 1970, 1 of these cells, operating inwards Greenwich Village, New York City, was edifice bombs when an accidental explosion occurred.
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Three members of the Weathermen were killed inwards the blast. Just x days later, indictments were handed downward inwards connection amongst the Oct 1969 “Days of Rage.” Twelve Weathermen members, virtually of the group’s leaders, were charged amongst conspiracy to cross the world lines amongst intent to incite a riot.
On ix June 1970, the Weathermen bombed New York City law headquarters, as well as on 26 July a military-police guard post service inwards San Francisco’s Presidio Army base of operations as well as a Manhattan Bank of America branch were similarly struck.
On xiii September 1970, the Weathermen orchestrated the prison theatre escape of Harvard psychologist-turned-LSD guru Timothy Leary, followed past times the bombing of the law statue inwards Chicago’s Haymarket Square (the instant fourth dimension inwards 1 twelvemonth that the grouping had done this) on 5 October, a nail at the Marin County, California, courthouse on 8 October, as well as the ix Oct bombing of a Long Island, New York, courtroom building.
On 10 Dec 1970, the organisation publicly changed its name, signing its latest communiqué, titled “New Morning, Changing Weather,” every bit the “Weather Underground.” In the statement, a stronger role for women inside the Weathermen was evidenced, a critique of the group’s past times actions as well as ideology was made, as well as philosophical changes taking identify inside the organisation were outlined.
Throughout 1971, the Weather Underground continued its bombing elbow grease amongst attacks on the U.S. Capitol, prison theatre offices inwards San Francisco, Sacramento, as well as San Mateo, California, the New York commissioner of corrections’ offices, as well as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology offices of erstwhile presidential advisor as well as Vietnam War escalation- advocate McGeorge Bundy.
In May 1972 the Weather Underground exploded a bomb inwards the air forcefulness fly of the Pentagon and, inwards the confront of novel authorities indictments of conspiracy to bomb law departments handed downward inwards Dec 1972, continued its terrorist elbow grease throughout 1973.
In the summertime of 1974, the Weather Underground issued Prairie Fire: The Politics of Revolutionary Anti-Imperialism. The outset detailed disputation of the group’s politics since June 1969, Prairie Fire included self-criticism, aims for the future, as well as a history of the organization.
The document also revealed the group’s novel agreement that a U.S. revolution was non imminent as well as that such an trial would live “complicated as well as protracted.” Prairie Fire also issued a challenge to the anti-imperialist motility to expire along its rebellion. Finally, the text provided detailed analysis of feminism as well as the role of women inwards the revolutionary movement.
The Weathermen’s bombing elbow grease continued inwards 1975, amongst attacks on the Washington, D.C., offices of the Agency for International Development as well as the Oakland, California, offices of the Department of Defense on 23 January, as well as the bombings of the Banco de Ponce offices inwards New York City’s Rockefeller Center as well as the Salt Lake City, Utah, headquarters of the Kennecott Corporation on xvi June.
In 1976, the Weather Underground dissever into 2 factions, due to philosophical differences over issues of race, gender, as well as organizational approaches. By the terminate of the year, however, 1 of the factions—the Central Committee—saw its members locomote out or live expelled from the grouping patch the other, the Bay Area Revolutionary Committee (BARC), assumed the drapery of the Weather Underground.
In 1977 as well as 1978, half dozen members of the Weather Underground surfaced as well as surrendered to authorities, leaving 15 Weather fugitives soundless living underground. Weather Underground members continued to surface voluntarily or to live captured past times law enforcement during the 1980s, amongst the terminal Weather fugitive wanted nether federal charges arrested inwards 1987.
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