Moratorium Day

The Vietnam War Moratorium Scroll at George Mason University was a significant artifact of student activism during the anti-war movement. On October 10, 1969, a GMU student presented Chancellor Lorin A. Thompson with a loosely rolled scroll containing the signatures of over 600 students, faculty, and staff. The petition requested that the university excuse members of the campus community from classes on October 15, 1969, so they could participate in local events related to the Vietnam War Moratorium.

Thompson, however, was not enthusiastic about the request. He insisted that GMU had obligations to the state and its citizens, meaning the university would remain open, and students and faculty would be responsible for any consequences of missing class or work. Despite this, the scroll represented a high point in activism at GMU, with nearly one-third of the student body, faculty, and staff participating in the movement in some capacity.

The scroll itself was later discovered in the university archives, stored in a map storage box labeled “Petition (Anti-Vietnam War) 1969”. It measured 12 feet by 16 inches and was carefully preserved as a historical document. You can explore more about the participants who signed the scroll