Political pressure on colleges and universities has been a matter of common debate and concern since 1934. That was the year the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the Association of American Colleges (the precursor of AAC&U) established a series of conferences in order to reaffirm and develop the 1925 Conference Statement on Academic Freedom and Tenure. These conferences produced the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure that is still the reference point for many college and university policies today. It underwent another set of revisions in 1970, when interpretative statements were added; the statement has the endorsement of approximately two hundred learned societies and organizations. The AAUP conceived of the tenure system in the context of a fundamental research mission within universities: a greater emphasis on research went hand in hand with greater protections and freedom of inquiry for faculty members. The principles set forth in the statement produced practices in the university that include protection for the political viewpoints of faculty as citizens, for the appropriate use of controversial materials in teaching, and for the rights of faculty to due process. In this article, the author shares how his experience as a student, faculty member, and administrator has included constant exposure to political pressure. The vast majority of his experience has demonstrated the resilience and strength of the academic system.