1919年5月4日,在北京爆发的五四爱国运动的消息,迅速传到天津,天津的广大爱国青年立刻响应。5月5日,北洋大学致电北京大学进行声援;直隶第一女子师范学生代表,倡议成立女界爱国同志会(25日正式成立),刘清扬任会长,邓颖超、郭隆真等为评议委员。
        5月6日晚,天津官立、私立中等学校以上共10所学校的代表29人,在北洋大学召开大会,首议了要北京政府即刻开释被拘留的学生,追归青岛; 并议决了四条办法。
        5月7日,是袁世凯与日本签订卖国的“二十一条”国耻纪念日,各学校都召开纪念大会。
        5月7日晚,天津中等以上各学校学生代表24人,又进行聚会,发表演说,汇报斗争情况;并成立了天津学生临时联合会,选举了临时学联的成员,谌志笃、马骏任正、副会长。
        此后,各校召开各种会议,抵制日货、罢上日语课,进行多种形式的斗争;接待北京来津学生,派代表进京参加学界联合大会。第一女子师范学校,还有多名学生咬破食指,愤写血书,声讨卖国行径。使曹汝霖、章宗祥、陆宗舆潜逃居津的眷属,惊恐万状,迁移不一。
        5月11日下午3时,天津临时学生联合会召开会议,并有北京学生团代表27人参加。会上,除交流了京津两地的斗争情况外,还决定派代表同北京学生一起奔赴上海,联合各界共同行动。会议一直持续到第二天早晨6时。学联代表还面见教育厅长,迫使教育厅长允许学生此后可以自由集会。

        

·五四运动在天津

        5月12日上午,绅、商、学、报各界,在省会会场召开直隶各界公民联合会,与会代表210多人。会上,由各界推举了公民联合会总干事,其中教职员中有马千里,学生代表中有马骏等。会议决定致电北京政府,罢免卖国贼;致电巴黎和会代表不能签字。从此,天津的五四运动,由学界扩展到绅、商、报等各界,斗争在广度和深度上都有了新的发展。12日下午,天津15所中等以上学校连同各界,共计2万多人,在河北公园 (今中山公园)召开追悼大会,追悼五四运动中被惨害的北京大学学生郭田光; 会后进行游行。
        5月14日下午,天津学生联合会在水产学校正式召开成立大会,选举了学联的领导成员8人,高等工校的谌志笃、南开学校的马骏,当选为正副会长。学联成立后,组织七八百人讲演团,分赴各戏园讲演; 与北京代表一起,南下宁、沪,报告京、津斗争情况;在提倡国货中印发传单; 向各省小学宣讲等。自此,天津学生联合会和5月2s日成立的天津女界爱国同志会,成为领导天津反帝爱国运动的两支核心力量。
        5月21日下午,学联在河北高等工业学校召集各校代表会议,研究罢课事宜。23日 上午8时开始,天津15所中等以上学校学生1万多人举行罢课;其后,海军医学校全体学生也实行罢课,加入联合会; 天津学联并宣布罢课宣言书。
        5月24日上午,直隶教育厅急忙约集各校校长开会,研究复课之法。内务部向直隶省下达密电,声称要取缔学生演说;警察厅也发布了所谓维持治安之布告 。针对禁令. 学联及时召开会议,决定讲演照常进行 28日,各校讲演者,较往日更多,秩序也较往日更好; 虽然巡警进行干涉,但是学生皆以好言相对,因此双方并未发生冲突。讲演的组织严密,分工明确,及时汇报,斟酌在报上刊登。
        5月28日,京津学生联合会还发出了致上海、南京、太原、济南、保定、汉口、杭州等学生联合会的电报,提出各推举代表,在上海共组中国学生联合总会; 天津学联并于第二天推举代表赴沪进行。
        5月31日,天津海关、码头工人7000多人宣布抵制日货。工人的参加斗争,使五四运动发展到新的阶段。
        6月5日,天津学生联合会组织各校学生千人,在南开学校操场举行声援北京被捕学生集会,学联副会长马骏带领大家宣读 “六项誓书” : 一、誓保国土; 二、誓挽国权; 三、誓雪国耻; 四、誓除国贼; 五、誓共安危;六、誓同始终。会后,冲破警察的围阻,上街游行。边游行,边讲演,边散布传单,其爱国之举感天动地。
        6月6日,在学生爱国行动推动下,天津各界群众2万多人,在河北公园召开公民大会。标志着天津的爱国运动突破了学生和知识分子范围,进入了各阶层参加的阶段。正像公园亭子的红柱上贴的一幅对联所说: “振民心合民力万众一心,御国敌除国贼匹夫有责。”天津总商会在工人、学生和爱国商人的敦促下,6月10日开始罢市。当天下午,给北京政府发出急电,要求惩办曹、陆、章及保护学生. 以谢国人,而救目前。北京政府在全国工人罢工、学生罢课、商人罢市的强大压力下,连夜召开紧急会议,罢免了曹汝霖、陆宗舆、章宗祥3个卖国贼的职务,并派参议员曾毓隽赶来天津宣布此事。6月28日,出席巴黎和会的中国代表团,也在全国人民的压力下,奉令拒绝在和约上签字。
        五四运动终于取得了一定的胜利。为了使运动持久、深入地开展下去,天津学联决定筹办《天津学生联合会报》,由周恩来主编,作为革命舆论的喉舌,对反帝爱国运动起到了重要作用,7月21日,周恩来主编的《天津学生联合会报》创刊。
        8月下旬,周恩来、刘清扬、郭隆真、马骏等天津学生,分批赴京向北京政府请愿,并要求释放被捕学生; 9月16日,周恩来、刘清扬、郭隆真、马骏、邓颖超等创办了觉晤社,成为天津爱国运动的领导核心。
        News of the May Fourth Movement spred overTianjin quickly. Patriotic youth in Tianjin immediatelyresponded. In May 5,Beiyang University telegraphedPeking University to support this movement.Representatives from No. 1 Zhili Women NormalUniversity proposed to set up Women PatrioticAssociation which was then formally founded in May25. Liu Qingyang was elected as the chairperson ofthe association,Deng Yingchao and Guo Longzhen asmembers of the committee.
        On the evening of May 6,29 representatives fromten public and private middle schools held an assemblyat Beiyang University. At the assembly,they put forwardtwo requests. They asked Beijing government to setfree students arrested and to fight for the returning ofQingdao in all means. They discussed four ways for thetwo requests.
        On May7,schools and universities held memorialassembly for it was the National Shame day for theTwenty One Treaties signed by Yuan Shikai withJapan. In the evening of May 7th,24 representativesfrom middle and above schools in Tianjin held anotherassembly. They also founded Tianjin Temporary StudentUnion which was formally founded in May 14 andelected members of the union including six secretaries.Zhan Zhidu and Ma Jun was elected the chairman andvice chairman of the union.
        After the assembly,schools and universities inTianjin held many meetings. They rejected Japanesecommodity and refused to take Japanese classes. Theyreceived student representatives from Beijing,sentrepresentatives to attend united assemblies of intellectualcircle in Beijing. Several students in No.1 WomenNormal School bit their first fingers to write bloodletters to condemn treachery. These activities terrifiedfamilies of Cao Rulin,Zhang Zongxiang and Lu Zongyuwho fled to Tianjin from Beijing,therefore they movedto other places.
        At three o`clock in the afternoon on May 11,Tianjin Temporary Student Union held a meeting.Representatives from nine schools in Tianjin and27 representatives from Beijing Students` Delegateattended the meeting. At the meeting,they exchangedthe struggle information in Beijing and Tianjin. Theydecided to send representatives with those from Beijingto Shanghai to unite all circles for united actions. Themeeting lasted till six in the next morning. On May 11,representatives from the union met the director of theEducation Department of Tianjin to request more rightsfor the assemblies. The director was forced to allow freeassembly of students.
        On the morning of May 12,representatives fromgentries,industries,schools and public media helda united assembly in the provincial meeting room.More than 210 representatives attended the assembly.At the assembly,they elected the general secretariesof the united assembly,including Ma Qianli from theteachers and Ma Jun from the students. They decided totelegraph Beijing government asking for the dismissingof quislings,and to telegraph representatives in Parisasking them not to sign on the treaty. From then on,theMay Fourth Movement in Tianjin extended from schoolsto gentries,industries and public media. The strugglemade new progress.
        In the afternoon of May 14,Tianjin Student Unionheld a general meeting for establishment at the School ofAquatic Product,electing Tang Jun as Acting Chairmanof the meeting. Zhan Zhidu from Hebei IndustrialCollege and Ma Jun from Nankai School were electedas Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively. After theestablishment,the Student Union organized a lecturegroup of 700-800 to make speeches at tea shops. Theyalso went to Ning and Hu to report struggles in Beijinand Tianjin with Beijing representatives. They alsohanded out fly sheets promoting the purchase of Chineseproducts and delivered speeches for students of primaryschools in each province. Tianjin Student Union andTianjin Woman Patriotic Association became the twokey powers leading the struggle against the imperialistsin Tianjin.
        In the afternoon of May 21,Tianjin Student Unionheld a general assembly about students` strike at HebeiIndustrial College. At eight in the morning of 23,10,000students from 15 schools went on a strike. Then all thestudents of the Marine Medicine School went on strikeand joined the Student Union. Tianjin Student Unionofficially announced the declaration of the studentsstrike.

        

·五四运动中天津学生示威游行队伍

        On the morning of 24,the Education Bureau ofZhili held meetings with the presidents of the schoolsand discussed the resume of classes. The Departmentof Inner Affairs issued secret telegram to Zhili Provinceabout the canceling of students` speeches. The policebureau also issued notification about the so- calledmaintenance of social security. The Student Union heldmeetings against the injunction and kept on deliveringspeeches. On 28,the speakers were more than before inbetter order. Although the police interfered sometimes,the students persuaded them in good words,so therewere no conflicts. At 15:00 everyday,the feedbackof speaking were accumulated by each school andsubmitted to the chief general,who decided thepublication in newspapers.
        On 28,the Student Union of Beijing and Tianjinissued telegraphs to the Student Unions of Shanghai,Nanjing,Taiyuan,Jinan,Baoding,Hankou andHangzhou. They elected representatives to set up theNational Student Union of China. The reprehensive ofTianjin Student Union went to Shanghai on 29.
        On May 31,7000 workers of Tianjin Customsand ports declared the resistance of Japanese goods.They decided that whenever there were ships carryingJapanese goods arriving at the seaport,nobody woulddisembark the goods. The struggle of workers reached anew stage during the May Fourth Movement.
        On June 5,1000 students who were on strike inBeijing were arrested during their speech by militarypolicemen. To support the arrested students in Beijing,Shanghai workers went on strike on June 5. TianjinStudent Union organized thousands of studentsexpressing their support at the playground of NankaiSchool. The Chairman and Vice Chairman reported theprinciples of their assembly. Ma Jun,the Vice Chairman,declared the six pledges: 1. defend the nation; 2. rescuenational authority; 3. avenge the national humiliation; 4.rid the national traitors; 5. go through safety and danger;and 6. fight to the end,which reflected the students`determination to fight against imperialism and feudalismto the end.
        On June 6,facilitated by the students` patrioticactions,20,000 Tianjin people from all walks of life heldGeneral Assembly at Hebei Park (now Zhongshan Park),which represented that the patriotic movement in Tianjinnot only included students and intellectuals but alsoall classes. The couplets on the pillars of the pavilionclaimed that all people should unite to fight against thenational traitors.
        During the national assembly,the representasivesof Tianjin Student Union went to Tianjin Chamber ofCommerce and required it to declare the shopkeepers`strike. Urged by the workers,students and businessmen,the strike began on June 10. In the afternoon,TianjinChamber of Commerce issued an urgent telegram toBeijing Government and required to "punish Cao,Luand Zhang,protect the students and apologize to thepeople". Under the pressure of the strikes of workers,students and businessmen,Beijing government foundit difficult to deal with and was more worried about theuncertainty in Tianjin. It held emergency meeting in theevening. Cao Rulin,Lu Zongxiang and Zhang Zongyuwere disposed from their positions. Zeng Liujuan,asenate member,hurried to Tianjin for declaring theissue. On June 28,the Chinese delegation to Paris PeaceConference refused to sign on the treaty under thepressure of the people of China.
        the May Fourth Movement achieved certainsuccess. To lengthen and further the movement,TianjinStudent Union decided to compile The Journal of TianjinStudent Union. Zhou Enlai was the Chief Editor. As thetongue of the revolution,it played an important role inthe movement against the imperialists.
        On July 21,The Journal of Tianjin Student Unionstarted publication. In the last ten days of August,ZhouEnlai,Liu Qingyang,Guo Longzhen,Ma Jun,andother Tianjin students presented petitions to Beijinggovernment and required to set free the arrestedstudents. On September 16,Zhou Enlai,Liu Qingyang,Guo Longzhen,and Deng Yingchao set up the JuewuAssociation,which became one of the most importantforcesof Tianjinpatrioticmovement.