Until last year, the most vicious outbreak of violence there was a 1958 panty raid launched against two womens dormitories, which resulted in. The untold story of the kent state massacre springwood press. My small role in preserving the history of the kent state massacre mary ann vecchio gestures and screams as she kneels by the body of a. He described kent state as being a freefire zone from the guardsmens perspective. In 1990, poets from around the country were called to gather on may 34, 1990 in kent, ohio to commemorate may 4, 1970. Kent state university in kent, ohio, was one such campus where tense protests were held. On may 4, 1970, the ohio national guard fired on kent state university students during an antiwar protest, killing four students and wounding nine others. This historical event shook the conscious of people around the globe. The tragedy was a watershed moment for a nation divided by the conflict in southeast asia. The shooting at kent state university in ohio lasted seconds. Abstract the vietnam era is arguably one of the most controversial periods of american history. I was a freshman at fsu when kent state happened, and i was still figuring out who i was as much as what i thought about world events.
Confrontation at kent state director richard myers documentary filmed by a kent state university filmmaker in kent, ohio, directly following the shootings. Kent state shooting, the shooting of unarmed college students on may 4, 1970, at kent state university in northeastern ohio, a pivotal event in the antivietnam war movement. Kent state shootings timeline created by mschultz94. The kent state shootings also known as the may 4 massacre or the kent state massacre 345 were the shootings of unarmed college students protesting the vietnam war at kent state university in kent, ohio, by burning the campus rotc building and throwing rocks at the guardsmen. That night the students began the rally in the streets.
Rallys began around noon students gathered around the victory bell to begin the rally. Kent, ohio for years kent state university wouldve been happy if everyone had just let that day fade from memory may 4, 1970 the day that ohio national guardsmen opened fire on unarmed college students, killing four, permanently crippling one, and wounding eight others. Kent state shootings northern virginia community college. We find that the rally on the commons on saturday, may 2, 1970. See more ideas about kent state university, american history and vietnam war.
This book was published about a year after kent state shootings. Screened at the kiva, kent state university, sunday, may 3, 2015. Mayday by payne is the book which is written on the movie kent state based on the kent state shootings, and he has tried to explain his point of view on every single event that occurred on that day at kent. It is important to note that the report filed by the special state grand jury on october 16, 1970, found as follows. On may 4, 1970, ohios kent state university was in chaos following. On may 4, 1970, ohio national guard moved in on rioting students at kent state university in kent, ohio. On may 4, a monday, thousands of kent state students decided to attend protests instead of class. The ohio national guard uses tear gas to disperse student protesters at kent state university on may 4, 1970. Kent state and the end of american innocence by howard. On may 4, 1970, in kent, ohio, 28 national guardsmen fire their weapons at a group of antiwar demonstrators on the kent state university campus, killing four students, wounding eight, and. My 19yearold sister, allison krause, was one of four students shot to death by the ohio national guard in the parking lot of her university campus as she protested the. The news of the kent state university shootings shocked the public.
Travel thru history what to know about the 1970 kent state. Echoes through a decade lynch street, the may 1970 slayings at jackson state college. Four kent state university students were killed and nine were injured on may 4, 1970, when members of the ohio national guard opened fire on a crowd gathered to protest the vietnam war. Fifty years later, a new akron beacon journal book with pulitzer prizewinning photos will look back at events before, during and after the tragic day. The campus was a relatively unlikely setting for the dramatic events that unfolded over the span of four days leading up to the tragedy. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the kent state shootings like never before, in no time at all. Its known as the kent state massacre, the kent state shootings, or the may 4 massacre and heres what you should know. Alan canfora is a survivor of the shootings at kent state university on may 4, 1970, and is recognized as a leading expert regarding the kent state tragedy, the history of american student activism, and political organizing. Writer philip caputo returns to kent state university, 35 years after he covered the shootings there as a young chicago tribune reporter. In trying to find more on the impact of the picture, i found an interview the photographer, john filo, did with cnn, did may 4 2000, which was the thirtieth anniversary of the kent state massacre. All of this frustration, anger, and unrest came to a head in ohio on the college campus of kent state in may of 1970.
On this day a shooting at kent state university took 4 lives and injured nine others. On a beautiful spring day in 1970, the vietnam war came to ohio. When comparing the kent state incident to the boston massacre it is clear as to there connection. Buy kent state posters designed by millions of artists and iconic brands from all over the world. Top 10 books on the kent state shootings best book. This documentary features an interview with nancy rodgers about her experiences at kent state where she was a math professor from 196878. The history and legacy of the shootings that shocked america.
If you want to know what was happening at kent state and on college campuses in 1970, this book is a must. George segal director michael blackwood documentary about american sculptor george segal. Author and other researchers went to kent and interviewed major and minor participants and witnesses. Genesis recreates the events from the perspective of the guards in the song the knife, on trespass october 1970.
Kent state university was under assault by a paramilitary force. So ken, the first time i watched this episode, which ends with a long section on the kent state massacre, i was just so shocked by hearing the audio of glenn frank, who was a. When singersongwriter neil young saw the photos taken at. The new evidence threatens much more than the accuracy of accounts of the kent state massacre in history books. The kent state massacre chronicles the events that led up to one of the countrys most notorious campus shootings, and the watershed moment that it came to represent for america during the vietnam war. On may 4, 1970, members of the ohio national guard fired between 61 and 67 shots into a crowd of unarmed antiwar protestors at kent state university in ohio, killing four students and wounding nine others. By title no author listed the background of the tragedy at kent state university. State or orangeburg or other student shootings of the. The tragedy of may 4, 1970, left four kent state university students dead and nine injured while profoundly changing the campus and americas view of the vietnam war.
Author discusses book on jackson state shootings of 1970. The kent state massacre would not have changed public opinion towards the war on its own, but the tragic events helped set the wheels of change in motion. Photographer john filo discusses his famous kent state photograph and the events of may 4, 1970. What started out as a peaceful protest culminated into 4 days of unrest that ended in tragedy. People began hearing about a seperate rally that was planned for the forth of may. Documents and interpretations the kent state coverup kent and jackson state19701990 new. Four students were killed and nine were wounded, all of america suffered. Drawing on his own interviews, a small trove of books on the subject and a vast. Presents the american legions argument that sds had been working for two years to create a major confrontation on campus and that may 4 was the culmination of their efforts. On may 1, kent state students protested nonviolently on campus, but later riots erupted in downtown kent, prompting mayor leroy satroms request for assistance from gov. The kent state shooting took place in 1970 when ohio national guard troops opened fire on vietnam war protesters at kent state university, killing four.
The kent state shootings also known as the may 4 massacre or the kent state massacre, were the shootings on may 4, 1970, of unarmed college students by the ohio national guard at kent state university in kent, ohio, during a rally against the expanding involvement of the vietnam war into neutral cambodia by united states military forces as well as the national guard presence on campus. And like the war itself, the shootings remain a source of bitter arguments and strong emotions. But kent state was not the only tragedy of the era. The rally that took place in kent state was about antiwar which left people unhappy because of nixons promise to end the vietnam war. Barbara dane sings the kent state massacre written by jack warshaw on her 1973 album i hate the capitalist system. Kent state shootings poem by ray hansell poem hunter. The shootings that occurred at kent state university, ohio, on may 4, 1970 have been a dark spot in american history for almost 36 years. Among his books is a wellreceived history of the protests, kent state. Over the course of four days, kent state students protested against an american invasion of cambodia which president richard nixon launched on april 25 and which nixon announced in a. The song kent was written by band member, terry leonino, a survivor of the kent state shootings. He has remained politically aware and active his entire adult life to the present day. These were indeed appropriate words for the vietnam era. All kent state posters are produced ondemand using archival inks, ship within 48 hours, and include a 30day moneyback guarantee.
Inquiry lesson plan stacie sheppard wcss conference. Four students were killed and nine wounded by the ohio national guard, the violent culmination of four days of protest. A copublication of the kent historical society and the kent state university press, this guide was created to supplement may 4th voices, a play based on the 1970 tragedy, a teachers resource book for may 4th voices. The trials of the kent state massacre were finally over. This shooting during an antiwar demonstration resulted in the killing four students and wounding nine others. Nearly five decades ago on may 4, the ohio national guard killed four people and wounded nine while trying to disperse an antiwar rally at kent state university in ohio. That night a crowd, including students, burned the rotc building and prevented kent firefighters from extinguishing the blaze. While perusing the list of books james michener has written in search of a good book to read, i saw that he had written this book in the immediate aftermath of the kent state tragedy back in 1970.
In less than 15 seconds, rifles fired by 28 ohio national guardsmen killed four college students and injured nine others. Why the kent state shootings continue to haunt us washington post. Allison director richard myers a tribute to allison krause. Davies, peter and the board of church and society of the united methodist church.
When it was over, four students were dead, nine were wounded, and the innocence of a generation was shattered. I think all would agree that both the boston massacre and the kent state massacreshootings would fail to meet the actual definition, the indiscriminate killing of a large number of people, for a massacre. As the 50thanniversary of may 4, 1970, approaches, readers are inspired to learn more about that day, when national guard soldiers opened fire on students gathered to protest the united state invasion of cambodia. In this book, the kent state shootings of may 4, 1970 by the ohio national guard is narrated in a poetical form. In this book, the kent state shootings of may 4, 1970 by the ohio national guard. It is a day remembered by many names, the kent state shootings, may 4 or the kent state massacre. A former police chief of new haven, connecticut, james ahern, called the guard illtrained and poorly led. During the kent state massacre also known as the kent state shootings, 4 college students were killed and 9 others wounded when the ohio national guard fired shots into a crowd during an antiwar protest on campus grounds. Kent state, 1970 explains how real teachers in real classrooms have adapted the play to use in various pedagogical situations. The demonstrators were part of a national wave of student discontent spurred by the new presence of u. The next weekend, 100,000 people gathered in washington, d. Customize your kent state poster with hundreds of different frame options, and get the exact look that you want for your wall.
Kent state university, in the rolling green hills of northeastern ohio, seems the very model of a modern, middle american university. Wilson added april 20, 2017 from the precipitous cultural conflicts of the 1960s to the everranging battle over how to remember the kent state incident, the authors. A look back at the kent state shootings caputo, philip on amazon. Why the kent state shootings continue to haunt us the. The kent state shootings, also known as may 4th or the kent state massacre, occurred at kent state university in the city of kent, ohio, and involved the shooting of students by the national guard on may 4, 1970. The school was closed for the rest of the semester, as were hundreds of other colleges across the country. Howard means is the author or coauthor of ten books, including the first biography of. Kent state, 1970 explains how real teachers in real classrooms have adapted the play to use in various pedagogical situations and levels of instruction. Author discusses new book on the jackson state shootings, which happened 50 years ago this week. In it, he argued that the shootings and the mass student strike had three.
A chronology of the shootings at kent state, may 1970. Bibliography of the kent state shootings wikipedia. This is how the huntleybrinkley report reported the news of the massacre that night. But by this time the ohio national guard had arrived and prevented further destruction downtown. Aftermath of the kent state shootings after kent state. Four students were killed, and nine others were injured. Some of those protests took place at kent state in kent, ohio, and the states governor replied by declaring a state of emergency and sending the ohio national guard to the campus. The shootings at kent state university on may 4, 1970, were sparked by protests against the vietnam war. At midday on may 4, 1970, after three days of protests, several thousand s. On this day in 1970 an ohio university was thrust into the national spotlight after national guardsmen opened fire on students protesting the vietnam war.
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