The present study is a sociological rather than an historical treatment of the role of black college students in the civil rights movement. We will determine the characteristic motivation of the typical black student protestor as well as the social and economic conditions that provoked him to protest. The data for our analysis will consist principally of hundreds of black students' replies to survey questionnaires. Most sociologists and other social scientists who have studied contemporary student protests including the black student movement generally believe the protests emerge in response to several diverse sets of circumstances. Four sets of factors may act as predisposing conditions: personal background and values; educational and social setting; special cultural climate; and certain historical exigencies. In our study we have been able to examine only three such sets of predisposing circumstances. In the first set, personal background and values, we shall examine dimensions similar to those already investigated, among them social class, birthplace, and choice of career. The second set, college experiences, is operationalized to include such things as the extent and kind of the students' involvement in extracurricular activities as well as their attitudes towards the college. And the third set, variations in college settings includes such variables as size of school, quality, and source of control. (Author/JM)