Aaron G. Fountain Jr. on "High School Students Unite!"

ABOUT THE BOOK:

High School Students Unite!: Teen Activism, Education Reform, and FBI Surveillance in Postwar America.

Teen spirit, radical change.

Mid-twentieth-century student activism is a pivotal chapter in American history. While college activism has been well documented, the equally vital contributions of high school students have often been overlooked. Only recently have scholars begun to recognize the transformative role teenagers played in reshaping American education.
High School Students Unite! highlights the crucial impact of high school activists in the 1960s and 1970s. Inspired by civil rights and antiwar movements, students across the nation demanded a voice in their education by organizing sit-ins, walkouts, and strikes. From cities such as San Francisco and Chicago to smaller towns such as Jonesboro, Georgia, these young leaders fought for curricula that reflected their evolving worldviews. Drawing on archival research and interviews, Aaron G. Fountain Jr. reveals how teenagers became powerful agents of change, advocating for constitutional rights and influencing school reform. Ironically, the modernization of school security, including police presence, was partly a response to these student-led movements. Through oral histories and FBI records, this fascinating history offers a fresh perspective on high school activism and its lasting impact on American education.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Aaron G. Fountain, Jr. is a historian who studies U.S. History. He holds a Doctorate in History from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. As of now, he currently resides in Bloomington, Indiana. He writes and presents public talks about twentieth-century American political and social history.

His book, High School Students Unite!: Teen Activism, Education Reform, and FBI Surveillance in Postwar America, was published in 2025 by the University of North Carolina Press. On January 31, 2026, he will be speaking at Charis Books & More in Decatur, Georgia. See event page for other upcoming talks. He has also begun his second book project, a cultural and political history of teenagers and the Vietnam War in North America, Australia, and New Zealand.

In addition to multiple academic articles, Dr. Fountain’s writing has appeared in Time, Smithsonian Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Hill, and other outlets. He has provided interviews for The Atlantic, NPR, Elle Magazine, and The Guardian, among others. His freelance essays explore themes of student activism, race and ethnicity, and online misogyny.

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