Kent State Massacre

Kent State Massacre The anti-war protests of the counterculture through out the week leading up to May 4th , 1970 pushed the government to their breaking point resulting in the Ohio National Guard firing upon unarmed college students at Kent State University

Occured on May 4th, 1970. At Kent State University in Kent, Ohio Also known as the May 4th Massacre and the Kent State Shootings Kent State Massacre

The shooting of unarmed college students by the Ohio National Guard in response to a protest against the invasion of Cambodia during the Vietnam War What was the Kent State Massacre?

Four students died: Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer, William Schroeder. Nine students were injured, one of whom was parayzed How Many Students Died Or Were Wounded?

Shootings lasted 13 seconds 67 shots were fired The Specifics Of the Shootings

On April 30th President Nixon announced that the military would invade Cambodia The reaction of the students at Kent State was much like that of other students around the country Students held a protest on May 1, 1970 at the Victory Bell on the campus of Kent State Started of as a peaceful demonstration Leading Up to the Shootings…

Leading Up to the Shootings… • Progressed later that night into an anti-war rally in downtown Kent as students left the bars • Students set a bonfire in the street, threw bottles at police and broke windows • The mayor of Kent, Leroy Satron, declared a state of emergency • Police used tear gas and batons to get the students back to campus

Saturday, May 2nd • The mayor instituted a dusk to dawn curfew and students were restricted to campus • There were rumors that the ROTC Building was going to be a target of militant students (in the first 2 weeks of May, 30 ROTC Buildings were burned on campuses across the nation) • The mayor alerted the Ohio National Guard but did not tell the Kent State officials

An anti-war march began around 8 p.m. 2000 students marched to the ROTC Building Windows were broken and someone set fire to the building Firemen were called but students attacked the firemen/hoses Police surrounded the building and used tear gas to disperse the students Saturday, May 2nd

Sunday, May 3rd • Kent State was fully occupied by the Ohio National Guard • The governor of Ohio, James Rhodes, gave a speech on campus saying that they would use whatever force needed to drive the protesters out of Kent • The National Guard was told they could shoot if it was necessary

Sunday, May 3rd • Again at 8 p.m. a crowd gathered around the Victory Bell • The National Guard issued a new curfew and ordered the crowd to disperse • The crowd refused • Tear gas was fired from helicopters • Students moved and staged a sit-in • Students wanted an explanation from the mayor on why the Ohio National Guard was there

Sunday, May 3rd • The mayor agreed to meet with students only if they went back to campus • When they returned to campus the National Guard again shot tear gas from helicopters at the students • They were then beaten with bayonets and some were stabbed as they were herded back into their dorms

The Ohio National Guard was not allowing any mass gatherings of students on campus Around noon a group of about 1500 students gathered on the commons to protest the invasion of Cambodia and the presence of the National Guard Students were told to disperse When they wouldn’t the general ordered the guardsmen to disperse them Monday, May 4th

Monday, May 4th • Knowing that students had been injured during the skirmish the night before the students began to flee the attacking guardsmen • The guardsmen followed firing tear gas • Some students threw the tear gas back • Students reached a parking lot where they began throwing stones at the guards who had stopped their advancement at the football field. • The guards began to throw the stones back

General Canterbury ordered the guard back because the crowd had been dispersed As Troop G was retreating about a dozen or so soldiers turned and fired their guns into the crowd in the parking lot 67 shots in 13 seconds; 9 injured and four dead Monday, May 4th

Hundreds of universities, colleges, and high schools shut down due to a nation wide strike of students The shootings have become a symbol of the Vietnam War protests Crosby, Stills, Nash &Young wrote “Ohio” which was a response to the Kent State Massacre The Aftermath

Legal Aftermath • In court the case against eight guardsmen was dismissed because it was ruled that there was not enough evidence to prove they didn’t act in self-defense • The Ohio National Guard never released an apology, however they issued a statement that said the shootings should not have happened but because of prior events the guardsmen felt their lives were in danger

General says they were fired upon by a sniper Guardsmen say they fired in self-defense and they were in fear of their lives Students say the crowd had dispersed They were going back to their dorms and classes They posed no threat Guardsmen conspired to shoot before they reached the top of the hill Conflicting Views

Works Cited • Brewster, Todd, and Peter Jennings. The Century for Young People. New York, New York: Random House, Inc., 1999. • Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (1970). Ohio [Recorded by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young]. On CSNY [CD]. Los Angeles, California: Broken Arrow Music. • Ferrell, R. H. (Ed.). (1984). The Twentieth Century An Almanac. New York, New York: World Almanac Publications. • Hensley, T. R., & Lewis, J. M. (n.d.). The May 4th Shootings At Kent State University: The Search for Historical Accuracy. Retrieved May 25, 2009, from Sociology Department of Kent State Web site: http://dept.kent.edu/ sociology/lewis/lewihen.htm • Kent State 1970: Description of Events May 1 through May 4. (n.d.). Kent May 4 Center. Retrieved May 25, 2009, from http://www.may4.org/?q=node/5

Kent State Massacre