Kent+State+Massacre+-+12-13


 * K E N T ** ** S T A T E ** ** M A S S A C R E **

— from //Fire in the Streets// by Milton Viors Leading up to the event, much of the anti-war sentiments harbored by the American people had been dissipating — the number of protests were decreasing day by day. However, on April 30, 1970 President Richard Nixon announced to the American people that he would be launching an invasion into Vietnam's neighboring country, Cambodia. In response to this declaration, many citizens began to demonstrate against the decision, especially students on college campuses. A wave of protests emerged from Kent State, a university located in northern Ohio, in which protestors reacted by throwing rocks, smashing buildings, and committing arson. An angered group of students attacked businesses downtown and set fire to the campus Reserve Officers Training Corps building. In response to the protests, conservative Governor of Ohio James Rhodes deemed the demonstrators, "the worst type of people we harbor in America" whom he would try to "eradicate." And just as Rhodes proclaimed, he sent the National Guard to Kent State. The guards came, expecting a violent uprising, but to their surprise, on May 4 3,000 demonstrators decided to hold a peaceful rally on campus. In the final minutes of the rally, the guards fired at the crowd with their M-1 rifles. The troops killed four students and wounded many others. It is unclear the reason why the guardsmen decided to shoot — some assert that it would have been highly unlikely for the guardsmen to have acted that way without reason. Although some eyewitnesses may claim that they had seen the men plotting the attack several minutes earlier, the motives and reasons behind the shooting are still unclear. The most that can be said objectively about the affair was that despite the peaceful protests, the guardsmen opened fire and several casualties and injuries were inflicted.
 * The Massacre **

// Called for the bombing of Cambodia which led to serious civilian and student protests, a key factor in the Kent State Massacre. //
 * Major Players **
 * PRESIDENT NIXON **

//In response to anti-war sentiments about the war in Vietnam and growing tensions between the United States and Cambodia, student protests on Kent State University grounds began to protest Nixon's decisions through peaceful protest and rallying — as it turns out, this was not a sentiment shared with the National Guard.//
 * KENT STATE STUDENTS**

//Local authorities such as Governor James Rhodes, in hopes of gaining the conservative vote, called for help from the National Guard. Such outcry and demand for further security measure to be enacted would further escalate tensions between guardsmen and student protestors and ultimately lead to the tragic deaths of four innocent students and the injuries inflicted upon many others.//
 * THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES **


 * Important Dates **
 * APRIL 30, 1970**[[image:303994w.jpg width="215" height="323" align="right" caption="President Richard Nixon"]]
 * President Nixon announces the U.S. invasion of Cambodia by American troops.
 * President Nixon's official declaration can be viewed here.
 * MAY 1, 1970 **
 * Students at Kent State University begin to demonstrate and protest the invasion.
 * Conflicts break out the protestors and police.
 * Local authorities close bars; protestors are tear-gassed by the police.
 * Kent's Mayor Satrom calls for help from Governor Rhodes and the National Guard.


 * MAY 3, 1970**
 * Governor Rhodes declares the protests a state of emergency.
 * A court order (which Rhodes never sought in the first place) officially puts Kent State University under the control of the National Guard under martial law.
 * Tensions grow between the guardsmen and the protestors as crowds began to gather and become more hostile.


 * MAY 4, 1970**
 * The National Guard arrives with tear gas cans in order to placate the protests.
 * This backfires so the guards takes up their bayonets.
 * The guards then fire 61 - 67 rounds of shots all within 13 seconds.
 * This instantly kills four students and wounds nine others.
 * The Kent State University President closed the entire school and had their students leave the campus as soon as possible for the sake of their safety and all the events that had folded out.


 * 1971**
 * Kent State, in response to all past violence, created The Center for Peaceful Change
 * A President's Commission on Campus Unrest is created.


 * 1974**
 * A criminal trial against 8 of the guardsmen is dismissed by Judge Battisti.


 * 1979**
 * A federal civil trial is settled, but the families of the deceased were awarded but little money for their losses.

As an outcome of what became known as the "Kent State Massacres," tensions between students and campus security ran tighter. Because of these escalating tensions, 450 colleges closed via voluntary means or provocations from student strikes. It is unfortunate to say that in the end, the National guard did not take any disciplinary action against the guardsmen involved in the shooting in Ohio. Counter to public expectation, the National Guard promoted these members. Not only did the state refuse to indict the guardsmen for their unwarranted and blatantly incriminating actions, it instead indicted the demonstrators for their peaceful demonstrations. It was not until 1974 that the federal government would pursue indictments against the guardsmen. During that year several guardsmen were charged with the killings, however, the judge dismissed and released them of all claims based on a technicality issue. To further rub salt to the wound, the aggrieved families of the deceased did win a suit for the damage inflicted in 1979 but the court awarded them but little money in compensation for their losses.
 * Outcomes **

The Kent State massacres had an influential impact on further nationwide student protests on college campuses. It is said that an overwhelming 80% of the nation's college campuses experienced protests after Kent State with over 58% of the students taking part in them. In response to the killings, a special federal commission was appointed to investigate. Kent State University itself claimed that the killings were "unnecessary, unwarranted, and inexcusable on the basis of the even as a whole. In conclusion, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation reported that "no guardsmen were hurt by flying rocks or projectiles and none was in danger of his life" — a clear indication that the violence had not been out of reciprocation from the other side. The guardsmen, however, argue the contrary, claiming that this report had been faked and that they had indeed been threatened by student protesters. Though it still remains unclear as to the exact occurrences of the day, one thing can be said for sure: the hype and hysteria caused by anti-war protests were at an all-time high and would impact the U.S. forever in future reactions to student protests in the years to come. Kent State's influence on the Cold War would lie deep within the American conscience and bring light to the internal turmoil the U.S. was facing whilst at war.
 * Influence **


 * Works Cited **

"Kent State Shootings." Nova Online Home Page. Web. 9 Apr. 2013. .

"Kent State massacre." Image. UPI-Bettmann/Corbis. // World History: The Modern Era //. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 31 Mar. 2013.

"Kent State massacre." Image. AP/Wide World Photos. // World History: The Modern Era //. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 9 Apr. 2013.

"Kent State massacre." // World History: The Modern Era //. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 31 Mar. 2013.

"Ohio National Guard patrols Kent State campus." Image. AP/Wide World Photos. World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 9 Apr. 2013

"Rally poster commemorating Kent State." Image. Library of Congress. World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 9 Apr. 2013.

"Richard Nixon." Image. National Archives. World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 9 Apr. 2013.