The Weather Underground: From Anti-War Protest to Armed Militancy

The Weather Underground Organization, originally a militant faction of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), emerged in 1969 advocating armed struggle against U.S. imperialism, racism, and the Vietnam War. Their manifesto, "You Don't Need a Weatherman to Know Which Way the Wind Blows," was released at the SDS national convention in Chicago. The group's first major action, the Days of Rage (October 8-11, 1969), resulted in over 250 arrests and 34 injuries. After a bomb-making accident in Greenwich Village killed three members on March 6, 1970, the group declared war on the U.S. on May 21, 1970, and renamed itself the Weather Underground. Over the next five years, they claimed responsibility for 25 bombings targeting corporate offices, federal buildings, and Vietnam War-related sites, including the Pentagon (1972) and the U.S. Capitol (1971). The FBI labeled them domestic terrorists and launched extensive manhunts. By 1975, with the Vietnam War winding down and internal fragmentation, the group became non-operational by 1977.