What event led to the anti-war protest in Kent State in 1970?
The most well known protest involving the Vietnam War occurred at Kent State University in Ohio in May 1970. On May 1, Kent State students held an anti-war protest. That evening several incidents occurred, including rocks and bottles being thrown at police officers and the lighting of bonfires.
Who was killed at Kent State?
Killed (and approximate distance from the National Guard):
- Jeffrey Glenn Miller; 265 ft (81 m) shot through the mouth; killed instantly.
- Allison B. ...
- William Knox Schroeder; 382 ft (116 m) fatal chest wound; died almost an hour later in a local hospital while undergoing surgery. ...
- Sandra Lee Scheuer; 390 ft (120 m) fatal neck wound; died a few minutes later from loss of blood.
What caused the shooting at Kent State in 1970?
The Kent Shootings, also known as the May 4 massacre, was the result of a clash between Kent State University students and National Guards. Four unarmed students were killed and nine were wounded when the National Guard opened fire on the crowd.
Why was the Kent State shooting significant?
Then, why was the Kent State shooting significant? 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. The tragedy was a watershed moment for a nation divided by the conflict in Southeast Asia.
See more
What led to the anti war protest at Kent State in 1970?
In May 1970, students protesting the bombing of Cambodia by United States military forces, clashed with Ohio National Guardsmen on the Kent State University campus. When the Guardsmen shot and killed four students on May 4, the Kent State Shootings became the focal point of a nation deeply divided by the Vietnam War.
What triggered the protest that led to the 1970 shooting at Kent State University quizlet?
They were protesting Nixon's Cambodia Campaign after thinking the war was coming to a close in 1969.
What did the incident at Kent State represent quizlet?
The event triggered a nationwide student strike that forced hundreds of colleges and universities to close. The decision to bring the Ohio National Guard onto the Kent State University campus was directly related to decisions regarding American involvement in the Vietnam War.
What were the students at Kent State University protesting in 1972 quizlet?
Some of the students who were shot had been protesting against the Cambodian Campaign, which President Richard Nixon announced during a television address on April 30.
Which of the following sparked the protests at Kent State in May 1970 quizlet?
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.
What happened on May 4 1970 at Kent State University?
Kent State University remembers 4 students killed, 9 injured during May 4, 1970 shooting by Ohio National Guard. Four students were shot dead by the Ohio National Guard while protesting the Vietnam War. Nine other students were injured.
How did the shootings at Kent State divide the nation quizlet?
How did the shootings at Kent State divide the nation? At Kent State University, about 500 students protested on the campus commons. The rally was peaceful, but that night in the town of Kent there was violence against police officers by an angry crowd that included some college students.
What was the My Lai massacre quizlet?
What was the My Lai Massacre and when was it? It was when the Americans approached a village called My Lai on the 16th of March 1968. Reports said the village was in a area controlled by the Vietcong. However they found no VC and killed anyone in their way, 500 died.
How many Ohio National Guardsmen were in the Kent State protests?
Stationed at the now-destroyed ROTC building were roughly 100 Ohio National Guardsmen carrying M-1 military rifles. Historians have never reached consensus as to who exactly organized and participated in the Kent State protests—or how many of them were students at the university or anti-war activists from elsewhere.
What happened to Kent State University students?
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. The tragedy was a watershed moment for a nation divided by the conflict in Southeast Asia. In its immediate aftermath, a student-led strike forced the temporary closure of colleges and universities across the country. Some political observers believe the events of that day in northeast Ohio tilted public opinion against the war and may have contributed to the downfall of President Richard Nixon.
What did General Canterbury order his men to do?
General Canterbury ordered his men to lock and load their weapons, and to fire tear gas into the crowd. The Guardsmen then marched across the Commons, forcing protesters to move up a nearby hill called Blanket Hill, and then down the other side of the hill toward a football practice field.
How many shots were fired in the Kent State shooting?
Over just a 13-second period, nearly 70 shots were fired in total. In all, four Kent State students—Jeffrey Miller, Allison Krause, William Schroeder and Sandra Scheuer—were killed, and nine others were injured. Schroeder was shot in the back, as were two of the injured, Robert Stamps and Dean Kahler.
What happened on May 2nd?
The following day, Saturday, May 2, there were rumors that radicals were making threats against the town of Kent and the university. The threats reportedly were primarily made against businesses in the town and certain buildings on campus.
How many Kent State University students died in the Vietnam War?
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. The tragedy was a watershed moment for a nation divided by the conflict in Southeast Asia. In its immediate aftermath, a student-led strike forced ...
What did members of Congress accuse the President of?
Members of Congress accused the president of illegally widening the scope of U.S. involvement in the war by not receiving their consent through a vote. However, it was public reaction to the decision that ultimately led to the events at Kent State University, a public university in northeast Ohio.
What year did Kent State and Jackson State protest?
Kent State and Jackson State: Remembering the age of student protests: 1968 to 1970 (opinion)
Why is the Kent State incident remembered?
Perhaps because it occurred first, resulted in more deaths, and transpired at an urban campus, the Kent State episode is generally remembered more vividly than the Jackson State incident. OPINION: 45 years after Vietnam War ended, here's how we ...
What was the DSC before the shootings?
Two years prior to the Kent State and Jackson State shootings, then-Delaware State College (DSC) experienced its own significant upheaval due to student discontent. Like Jackson State, DSC was a historically black college and university.
Why did the National Guard station at Kent State?
At Kent State, Ohio National Guard troops were stationed on campus to quell persistent and widespread student protests; at Jackson State in Mississippi, local police intervened for the same reason. On May 4, four students were killed at Kent State by Guardsmen who opened fire, one of whom was a bystander and ROTC cadet.
What was the DSC's policy in 1968?
Mishoe over a number of concerns ranging from their desire for increased library hours, a more liberal visitation policy in the female residence halls, the establishment of a black studies program and other demands.
What was the April 30, 1970 announcement?
The April 30, 1970 announcement by President Richard Nixon that the United States was seeking the assistance of Cambodia in the fight against North Vietnam and their Viet Cong allies was viewed by many as an expansion of the war. KENT STATE SHOOTINGS: How events of May 4, 1970 influence student activism today. ...
What factors helped to usher in a new era of cooperation?
Other factors helped to usher in a new era of cooperation. First, students were granted more rights and input into decision-making at many universities. Second, relations between colleges and town officials grew closer. Third, in the current era, students are less idealistic and more job-oriented.
Why did students protest the war?
At first, students gathered to protest the war in general. They chided the war as an unnecessary display of imperialism by the United States. Students rejected the notion of protecting Southeast Asia from communist aggression, especially when there were unresolved issues within the United States that were more important. Protests generally occurred via sit-in (March 24 and 25 was the first nationally recognized anti-war sit-in at the University of Michigan) and mass gathering (the largest antiwar gathering at the time occurred on April 17, 1965 in Washington, D.C. where 25,000 students protested).
Why did students march into urban ghettos in 1964?
In the spring of 1964, students marched into urban ghettos, Newark and Detroit to name a couple, under the Economic Research and Action Project (ERAP) in order to revitalize the area and find meaningful work for those who were impoverished.
Why was the student movement important?
It is important for you to remember that the catalyst for the rise of the student movement is attributed to the desire to end the conformist culture of the 1950s, and to liberate African Americans from the social inequality and persecution that they faced. The ideas of the younger generation of the 1950s were translated into action during the 1960s.
What was the first major initiative of the New Left?
The first major initiative of the New Left was to address the largely ignored racial injustice and poverty within the United States. Members from SDS joined other student groups, such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1960 and the Freedom Riders in 1961, in an attempt to eliminate the deep-seated racism and discrimination found in the Deep South. These same individuals from SDS would also join prominent equal rights groups, such as the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). More in-depth information in regards to the students and the civil rights movement can be found within other lessons in this chapter.
What was the New Left movement?
The most recognizable political organization that developed within the New Left movement was Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). It is important to note that the antithesis to the New Left and organizations like SDS was the Young Americans for Freedom; while not as large as the SDS, it projected a conservative approach.
Why did students burn draft cards?
Since most male students were between the ages of 18 and 25, they became a prime target for the draft. As a result, students began burning their draft cards, rejecting induction and attempting to sabotage transportation networks that carried draftees to basic training. Prominent events included the July blockade of the Oakland Army Terminal and the November draft card burnings in Washington D.C. and New York City.
What was the youth culture of the 1950s?
Many believed that the 1950s represented a period of complacency, stagnation and authoritarianism. The younger generation was largely dismayed with the notion that little was being done by authorities to prevent future wars from taking place. They rebelled against the notion of conspicuous consumption, which is spending in order to show off one's wealth. Additionally, the plight of African Americans was seen as an incredible social injustice that was being ignored by their elders.
How many people were killed in the riots at Kent State?
Some guardsmen fired their rifles. Shots were fired into the air, into the ground, but also directly at the rioters. A total of 67 shots were fired, hitting 13 people and killing 4 of them. The four casualties were Sandra Scheuer, Jeffrey Miller, Allison Krause, and William Schroeder. Angered students planned on responding with increasingly violent attacks on the National Guard, which would have led to massive student deaths if not for Kent State faculty members pleading with the rioters to stop and disperse.
What did the students throw at the guardsmen?
Remaining students threw rocks and tear gas canisters at the guardsmen, whose orders to the rioters to disperse were refused. There are conflicting reports about whether guardsmen were fired upon (see opening fire or returning fire ).
How many people were killed in the riots at Jackson State University?
Similar rioting and criminality by protesters on the campus of Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi led to the rioters there being shot at by city and state police on May 15, killing two and wounding 12. The students who took part in the Kent State riots and other campus student strikes were largely looked at disfavorably ...
What happened in the 1970s?
The Kent State protests of May 1970 took place on the campus of Kent State University, in Kent, Ohio. They began with violence and arson, degenerated into rioting and ended in the deaths of four students. During the demonstration on May 1, 1970, "a mix of bikers, students, and out-of town youths" assaulted police with beer bottles ...
How many people gathered in Cambodia on May 4th?
On May 4, around 2,000 people gathered for a previously planned rally to protest the American bombing of Cambodia, despite the university's announcement of a ban or cancellation. When a police official ordered the crowd to disperse, a riot broke out as his Jeep was pelted with rocks and one guardsman was injured.
How many people were injured in the 1970 hard hat riot?
One such student strike in New York City was countered by construction workers supporting President Richard Nixon, which led to the Hard Hat Riot on May 8, 1970 that left more than 70 people, including four policemen, injured and led to six arrests.
Who called out the Ohio National Guard?
Kent mayor LeRoy Satrom called on Jim Rhodes, the governor of Ohio at the time, who then called out the Ohio National Guard. A number of protesters were arrested by the National Guard, mainly for curfew violations. On May 3, protesters defying a curfew by Mayor Satrom were dispersed by guardsmen using tear gas .