Oral+History+Summary

 The 1960s were a turbulent and troubled time in our nation’s history and Milwaukee was no exception. Despite the best efforts of Mayor Henry Maier, who served for the whole decade, the plight of poor African-Americans from the inner city was all but ignored until 1963. The civil rights movement started late compared to other places, such as Alabama, on August 28, 1963. Coincidentally, it was the same day as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. On this day, CORE members demanded the resignation of racist Fred Lins from the municipal Social Development Commission, using such tactics as sit-ins, pickets, and even an occupation of Mayor Maier’s office. The Milwaukee Public School System wasn’t even integrated until 1965. In the summer of 1967, Father James Groppi began leading a series of marches for an open-housing law. They were interrupted by a riot beginning on July 30. For six hours in the middle of the night, African Americans from the inner city started fires and looted stores. It wasn’t until 3 A.M. the next morning that National Guard troops and Milwaukee Police stopped the riot. For the next 26 hours, no one was allowed to go anywhere, as the mayor had imposed a blanket curfew. After that, a night curfew was enacted for the next eight days. This event polarized our city on the issue of civil rights, just as it had in Detroit and Los Angeles. This is in addition to the assassination of John F. Kennedy and Dr. King, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam Conflict, and the space race. **Works Cited **  Davidian, Geoff. "The Milwaukee Riots of 1967." //The Putnam Pit//. 2007. MilwaukeePress.Net. 25 May 2009 []. Gurda, John. //The Making of Milwaukee//. Milwaukee, WI: Milwaukee County Historical Society, 1999.
 *  Oral History Research **

