The history of the first major student revolt in American colleges, which came at the turn of the nineteenth century, is reported in this book. The question of why upper class, Federalist, and socially conservative students became rioters is examined. The rioters are portrayed as a postrevolutionary generation--the Sons of the Founders--who wanted to outdo their elders in nationalistic deeds. It is argued that they were politicized by their Federalist fathers. When their generational and political goals were frustrated, they were rechanneled into surrogate political activity--student revolt. To restore order, colleges adopted a new disciplinary tool, the blacklist, that effectively suppressed the resistance. Observations are offered about the part rebellion played in defining the antebellum college, and about how the downfall of republican education coincided with the rise of the evangelical movement in the colleges, leading to a struggle for control of the colleges of national import. (Author/LBH)