May 4, 1970- Kent State Massacre
On May 4th, 1970, four students were killed during a protest of the Vietnam War over the bombing of Cambodia that President Richard Nixon put in place only 5 days earlier. The protest was scheduled for noon that day, but because of the protests days before, protesting students were actually passing out flyers saying that the event was being canceled. Against what the papers said, 2,000 Kent State students showed up in light of protesting the War. Just then infantries from the Ohio National Guard came and tried to stop the protest, and make the students exit the premises. Protesters began to become angry, throwing rocks at the National Guard. It came very clear to the infantries that the crowd was not going to disperse, and that further action needed to be taken into consideration. They tried to move the crowd up the campus ground, but it was becoming harder and harder because the force of the protesters were becoming too strong. The tear gas that was used in the beginning of the force did not work because of the wind and it was blowing it away from the crowd. Once the National Guard stopped at Blanket Hill, they knelt down and at 12:24 p.m. the first shot of the May 4th Massacre rang out. After Sergeant Myron Pryor fired his first bullet, at least 29 of the 77 guardsmen present also started shooting (approximately 67 rounds of ammunition were set off at the scene.) 4 students, Jeffrey Glenn Miller, Allison Krause, William Schroeder, and Sandra Scheuer were killed during the Kent State Massacre. Krause and Miller were the only two victims that were participating in the protest; Schroeder and Scheuer were walking to class while shot.
After the May 4th shooting, many protests began around the country. The reason for the shots is still unknown today. Many think that it was self defense because the crowd was becoming too strong for the guardsmen, or it could have been because the guardsmen were in no sense of danger, and the reason is still unjustified. The 13 second shooting shook the world, and made a huge impact for the Vietnam War.
| Guardsmen at Blanket Hill, Kent State University |
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| Mary Ann Vecchio (14) kneels over Jeffrey Miller's Body |
Works Cited: https://www.kent.edu/may-4-historical-accuracy
Word Count: 363
Eleni, I was especially interested in the story that you told in this essay because it is something that occurred so close to where I live, yet I have never heard about it until now. I agree with your thoughts that the guardsmen had no good reason to shoot and it is very sad to hear about the 4 students that lost their lives in this event.
ReplyDeleteThis event is so horrifying especially for the students who were just walking to class! I remember Mike saying this was the turning point of the war. Do you think it was?
ReplyDeleteDo you know how it impacted the Vietnam war? It is crazy to think that something like that could happen so close to home
ReplyDeleteIt’s crazy to think that Kant State was so impactful in the Vietnam war. Also, half of the people killed weren’t even protesters which i think is crazy. How were they shooting?
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