The Great Butter Rebellion, which took place at Harvard University in 1766, was the first recorded student protest in the United States. Since the opening of Harvard's gates in 1636, food service had been an issue and the quality of the butter was exceptionally poor. Apparently one meal with particularly rancid butter led Asa Dunbar {the grandfather of Henry David Thoreau} to jump upon his chair and proclaim: "Behold, our butter stinketh!-give us therefore, butter that stinketh not." The cry was adopted by fully half the student body as they rose together and exited the Commons in protest. They were subsequently suspended. Eventually the students were readmitted, but its unclear whether the butter continued to stinketh or not. -The Harvard Crimson
( Elaine Khosrova )
[ Butter: A Rich History ]
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