Written by Emma Roberts, Illustration by Emily Wachter
May 4, 1970 — student protesters at Kent State University clashed with the Ohio National Guard. In 13 seconds, four students were killed when the National Guard opened fire on a group of student protestors. In those 13 seconds, the nationwide perception of the Vietnam War would change forever, and a generation of Americans would be influenced by the incident for years to come.
Background:
By 1970, the United States had been directly involved in the Vietnam War for almost five years, with a presence in the region there for significantly longer. War efforts escalated under Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, with drafted troops invading the neutral nation of Cambodia.
Support for the war fluctuated, with a larger percentage of Americans approving of the war, rather than disapproving. But large protests arose after the invasion of Cambodia, including at Kent State University.
Timeline:
May 1, the day after the invasion of Cambodia. Roughly 500 students at Kent State gathered in a park-like space at the university known as the Commons. Several spoke against the war and invasion, while others spoke against President Nixon directly.
That night, students and police clashed. Glass was thrown at police cars, shop windows were shattered and bars were told to close early to avoid any trouble. This angered students more, and police used tear gas on students in an attempt to get the students closer to campus.
By May 2, Kent Mayor LeRoy Satrom declared a civil emergency and called in the Ohio National Guard. This time, more than 1,000 protesters were at the university, and the school’s ROTC building had been set on fire. No one was injured in the fire, but the building ultimately collapsed. Several arrests were made, yet those responsible were never apprehended.
On May 3, Ohio Governor Jim Rhodes arrived at the campus to deliver a press conference. He called the protesters un-American and threatened to use law enforcement against the student protesters. Nearly 1,000 members of the National Guard were stationed at the campus.
The Day of:
A protest had been scheduled for noon. The university handed out 12,000 leaflets falsely saying that the protest had been canceled. Despite this, 2,000 students showed up to the protest.
Shortly after noon, the National Guard fired tear gas at protesters after ordering them to disperse, but due to wind, the gas had little effect. Ohio National Guard General Robert Canterbury ordered the crowd to disperse but only incited more anger from the protestors. They threw rocks and shouted insults as his Jeep passed by. The National Guard managed to push the students back toward the school’s athletic field.
It is unclear what happened immediately before, but the Guard fired more than 60 bullets, some in the air, and some into the crowd, over the course of 13 seconds. Students Jeffrey Miller, Allison Krause, William Schroeder and Sandra Scheuer were killed in the incident, and nine more were injured.
Aftermath:
Immediately following the incident, Kent State University closed, and did not reopen until summer. President Nixon launched the President’s Commission on Campus Unrest, more commonly known as the Scranton Commission.
The Commission filed a report later in 1970 concluding that the actions of the National Guard were unjustified. The report said, “Even if the guardsmen faced danger, it was not a danger that called for lethal force.”
Photographs of the incident spread across the nation, including John Filo’s Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph. The incident helped spur a large wave of protests, which resulted in anti-war sentiment spreading across the country.
Just five days after the Kent State Incident, more than 100,000 people marched in front of the White House, demanding an end to the Vietnam War.
At the same time, the protest sparked a countermovement from conservatives, often called the “silent majority.” The incident led to a surge in patriotism in the nation and was largely opposed to the student protesters and their message.
Conclusion:
The Kent State Incident showcased and highlighted a divide within America, not just in relation to the Vietnam War, but also in how those within the country viewed the nation as a whole. Many were split on what happened at Kent State, with some blaming the protesters, while others were horrified at the actions of the National Guard. After Kent State, the country grew more divided over the war in Vietnam and divided on student protests in general.
