Episode Overview

Podcast: New Books Network
Host: Jen Hoyer
Guest: Aaron G. Fountain Jr.
Book Discussed: High School Students Unite! Teen Activism, Education Reform, and FBI Surveillance in Postwar America (UNC Press, 2025)
Air Date: December 27, 2025

This episode centers on the overlooked yet critical role of American high school students in activism during the 1960s and 1970s. Fountain’s book details their involvement in civil rights, the anti-Vietnam War movement, and how these young activists faced not only school administration resistance but also intense government surveillance. The conversation explores the evolution of the high school student movement, its diversity, the mechanics behind student-led underground newspapers, the intersection of race and activism, and the research process involved in capturing these histories.

Guest Introduction & Motivations

Introducing Erin G. Fountain Jr. [02:44–05:09]

• Born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; attended eight high schools across three states.
• Personal experiences with disparate education environments shaped his awareness of the effects of race and class on education.
• Academic path: History major at Winthrop University; PhD at Indiana University; shifted from academic track to public history roles (work with the Cleveland Civil Rights Trail and the Smithsonian).
• Currently seeking opportunities in public history, buoyed by the publication of his book.

Motivation for the Book [05:09–09:34]

• Initial exposure came from undergraduate research on political protests over the Pledge of Allegiance.
• Realized high school student activism was nationally widespread but understudied.
• Investigated movements beyond initial intentions, evolving from a regional study (San Francisco Bay Area) to a national and international scope.
• Sought a "character-centric narrative," using stories and interviews to animate the movement rather than relying solely on academic argumentation.

"Because I was talking about kids and I interviewed a lot of these people and their stories were quite impressive and funny because they're teenagers, I really want to write a character centric narrative."
— Erin G. Fountain Jr. [08:51]

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Birth and Breadth of High School Activism [09:34–14:06]

• Two main drivers: Civil Rights and Vietnam War.
• Highlighted the San Francisco High School Free Speech movement and efforts to publish the underground newspaper "Activist Opinion".
• Student activists came from varied backgrounds—some tied to civil rights or leftist families, others less academically inclined.
• School administrators saw these efforts as subversive, banning activities and publications.
• Students responded by asserting their constitutional rights, leading to new forms of civic engagement.

"They had a much better understanding of the nuances of the Vietnam War than the average American did at the time, largely attribute to their radical upbringing..."
— Erin G. Fountain Jr. [12:01]

2. Underground Newspapers: The Movement’s Linchpin [14:06–18:56]

• Underground papers arose as alternatives to censored school publications; topics ranged from politics to theater.
• Evolved from simple leaflets to coordinated, citywide endeavors, e.g., New York High School Free Press (up to 40,000 circulation).
• Syndicates like the Cooperative High School Independent Press Syndicate facilitated national and international communication.
• Functioned as precursors to today’s social media by connecting isolated student-activists.

"[The underground press] was kind of like a social media of his era as a way to connect high school students and show them that yes, high school student activism was something not only national but international."
— Erin G. Fountain Jr. [17:55]

3. Race, Student Uprisings, and Demands [18:56–27:44]

• Race was a central issue, approached from multiple angles: uprisings, policy campaigns, and responses to violence.

• Student protests, sometimes involving thousands, erupted over both direct racial violence and structural inequities, e.g.:

  • East LA Blowouts (10,000–20,000 participants, 1968)
  • Mission High School strike in San Francisco
  • Collinwood High School riots in Cleveland

• Demands centered on police presence, faculty diversity, culturally relevant curricula, improved facilities, and institutional accountability through "Bill of Rights" campaigns.

• Violent resistance (often by white parents and students) prompted black and Latino students to push for policy changes—a cycle seen nationwide.

"Black students would often go to school administrators and would advocate for policy... They also wanted curriculum reform like black history taught."
— Erin G. Fountain Jr. [26:47]

4. Surveillance: FBI and Local Collaborators [27:44–33:01]

• Many actors surveilled student activists: the FBI, school administrators, parents, and fellow students.
• Early skepticism about the extent of surveillance, but subsequent FOIA requests unearthed wide-ranging operations (1961–1979, mostly during Vietnam War era).
• Surveillance included informants, media monitoring, and direct interference (e.g., sending doctored newsletters to sabotage groups).
• In some cases, the FBI’s actions led directly to school policy changes suppressing activism.

"What's so interesting in the surveillance documents that I had was the role that school administrators, parents and fellow students played. They all were informants. Sometimes they were recruited, but many times they, out of their free will, contacted the FBI to report on their own kids."
— Erin G. Fountain Jr. [29:16]

5. Research Process & Source Material [33:01–39:46]

• Utilized a mix of archival research (11 states), FOIA requests, digitized newspapers, oral histories (over 70 interviews), and personal collections.
• School-based archives proved both rich and logistically challenging due to inconsistent access.
• Personal and organizational records sometimes only survived due to happenstance (e.g., a retiring principal saving crucial documents from disposal).
• Documented over 1,000 underground newspapers and 500 student organizations; activism existed in both major urban centers and remote rural areas.

"One of the persons I interviewed, Paula Garve, she read my first article... She told me that she liked it. But I feel like you forget the fact that we were still kids and... all the ups and downs of adolescence were all there. So that's why I wrote the book the way I did."
— Erin G. Fountain Jr. [37:36]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the diversity of student journalists:
  "They even had, like, a photographer. Yeah, a photographer who went around the city and took photos of different demonstrations." [15:46]
• On school community as informants:
  "Parents report on their own kids. School administrators report on the students that were in their school than other fellow teenagers who reported on their classmates." [29:21]
• On student-driven change:
  "High school student activism was occurring nationwide and international too... You name it, even, and of course, the non-Western countries as well." [08:02]
• On the continuing hunt for sources:
  "I knew when this book came out, I wouldn't have every file in my possession. And I'm still submitting FOIA requests." [40:14]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Guest Introduction / Background: [02:44–05:09]
• Motivations & Overview of the Book: [05:09–09:34]
• Origins & Spread of High School Student Activism: [09:34–14:06]
• The Underground Press: [14:06–18:56]
• Race & Identity in the Student Movement: [18:56–27:44]
• Surveillance & Suppression: [27:44–33:01]
• Research Process & Sources: [33:01–39:46]
• Current & Future Projects: [39:46–43:28]

What’s Next? [39:46–43:28]

• Fountain continues to gather FBI files and is working on a new book about the cultural and political history of teenagers during the Vietnam War, extending the scope to include Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
• Preliminary findings reveal coordinated anti-war movements across borders, with teenagers playing an outsized role in spreading dissent.

"When you center the experiences of teenagers... the anti-war movement would not have been as vast, durable or as contentious without the participation of high school students."
— Erin G. Fountain Jr. [42:35]

Summary Takeaway

Fountain’s High School Students Unite! fills a critical gap in our understanding of youth participation in American social movements. It tracks not just the actions but the personalities, passions, and vulnerabilities of teen activists, underscoring both their impact on national reforms and the lengths to which authorities went to monitor and suppress them. Through oral histories, archival sleuthing, and an eye for the lived experiences of young people, the book brings a vital, human dimension to a chapter of American history that shaped—and was shaped by—the country's youth.

For listeners and readers: Even if you never considered high school students as prime movers in American postwar activism, this episode—and Fountain’s work—will shift your perspective.