Holli's+Research+Paper

“**Tragedy** Seals Off Kent U… 4 Kent State Students **Killed by Troops…** ** BLOODY ** campus war over: KSU shock, reaction roll across nation ” ("www.Ohio.com") were just some of the newspaper headlines following the Kent State devastation. For those of you who are unaware of this crucial piece of history, the Kent State shootings took place on May 4th 1970. The Ohio National Guard was called into Kent, Ohio the night of May 2nd 1970 by Mayor Leroy Satrom because someone set the local ROTC building on fire following the announcement of the bombings in Cambodia. The Kent State shootings happened because President Nixon and the National Guard wanted, desperately to end all protests against the Vietnam War. (Canfora)

The Vietnam war was not one that was supported or even liked back in the United States. It was not wanted for many reasons, different people most likely have different reasons. Most citizens did not even understand why we were fighting there to begin with; they saw it as useless, especially when 9,087,000 men were sent to Vietnam and more than 5,000,000 died. Another reason was the draft. A draft is when the government chooses people at random to serve in the armed forces. When people feel strongly that something is wrong they tend to act out by arguing, writing letters, trying to hide from it, or protest it. (Canfora)

There were protests often and everywhere. There were organizations that just organized protests and tried to enforce the anti-war movement. There were protests on streets, in front of government buildings, on college campuses, and many more places. There were quiet protests, like when people tried to dodge the draft or concerned mothers who wrote letters to Nixon; there were peaceful protests, like when kids just marched around in front of armed forces buildings, and there were radical protests. The radical protests could be like ones were family members of someone serving in the unwanted war sent threats to the president, or when people set their local armed forces headquarters on fire. There were also the radical protests that were never meant to be radical, but the complete opposite. (Canfora)

Peaceful protests always have the potential to turn violent, easily. They could turn violent because there is always someone who wants to ruin something good, or if someone in uniform tells the protesters they need to leave and often times, protesters do not like that, or a combination of both.

A lot of officials, whether it is a police officer, national guardsmen, someone who is ranked in the military, or even someone like the president, think that they’re automatically better than everyone because they have a title, a badge, and the state or government signs their checks. People like that could also turn something calm, peaceful, meaningful into a day that will always be remembered for the disruption of peace, violence, murders, wounds, tears, and loss.

A lot of people wonder why were the National Guard even called into Kent. They were called in because the local ROTC building was set a blaze, therefore the mayor thought it would be necessary to call in the National Guard. They have conducted multiple investigations and still cannot conclude who set the building on fire. It could have been a student, it could have been a resident, or it even could’ve been someone visiting the area. There were over 2,000 people witnessed it, including plain-clothed cops, and still no one knows. According to the many websites put there about Kent State, the ROTC building was on the college campus, but in the first two weeks of May, about 30 ROTC buildings located on college campuses were burned. So why did this one turn into such a problem? (Lewis Hensely)

Many of the guardsmen said they fired because they had rocks thrown at them or that they felt threatened. One of the guardsmen did say that his life was never in danger, and that the guardsmen had gotten together and made up the story. It is proven that not one of the students who were participating in the protest had a weapon, especially a fire arm. ("Kent May 4 Center home page") But, if they were “in danger” or even scared for their life, how could students, one 750 feet away, be much of a threat? (Canfora) On May 4th, 1970 Jeffery Glenn Miller, Allison B Krause, William Knox Schroeder, and Sandra Lee Scheuer were shot and killed. Jefferey was shot in the mouth while standing in a road leading to a campus building. He was 270 feet away from the closest guard. Jefferey Glenn Miller was 20 years old. Allison was shot in the left side of her body while standing in a parking lot. She was 330 feet away from the closest guard. Allison B Krause was 19 years old. William was shot while standing in the same parking lot, except he was 390 feet away from the closest guard. He was shot in the lower left side of his back and therefore he couldn’t even been facing the guards. William Knox Schroeder was also only 19 years old. Sandra was standing in the same parking lot and was also 390 feet from the closest guard when she was shot in the left front side of her neck. Sandra Lee Scheuer was 20 years old. (Canfora)

Another nine were shot and, luckily, survived. Joesph Lewis Jr. was the closest student of all to the guardsmen. He was was 60 feet to the closest guard. He was shot in the right abdomen and left lower leg. Thomas Mark Grace was also 60 feet away when struck in the left ankle. John R Cleary was more than 100 feet to the closest guardsmen when he was struck in the upper left chest. Alan Canfora was 225 feet away from the closest guardsmen when he was shot in the right wrist. Douglas Alan Wrentmore was 330 feet away from the guardsmen and shot in the right knee. James Dennis Russel was 375 feet away from the closest guardsmen and was shot twice. Once, in the right thigh and the other on the right part of his forehead. Robert Follis Stamps was shot in the right buttock while standing almost 500 feet from the nearest guardsmen. Donald Scott Mackenzie was almost a whole 750 feet away from the closest guard when he was shot in his neck. Dean R Kahler, the most seriously wounded, was 300 feet away from the closest guardsmen. He was struck in his back and was immediately, permanently paralyzed from the waist down. (Canfora)

The facts of the massacre are as followed: The Ohio National Guardsmen were called in because the local ROTC building was set on fire, just like another 30 on college campuses across America. Students at Kent State scheduled a peaceful protest which the National Guard happened to be attending. Not one student participating in the protest was armed. The National Guardsmen fired on the students. Some guardsmen said it was because they felt like their life was in danger because students were throwing rocks at them, not boulders, but loose gravel. One guardsmen said they got together and fabricated the rock story. He said that their lives were never in danger. ("Kent May 4 Center home page") There were **thirteen** students, citizens, somebody’s children hit on purpose or by a “stray” bullet. **Four** of them **killed**, one **paralyzed**, **eight** with **gun shot wounds**. Four of the thirteen were not even facing the guardsmen and seven of them were more than a football field away.

Peaceful protests are one of the rights in america, but they cost money and time; money and time that a country at war doesn’t have. They cause attention; attention to matter, good or bad. They could make people start questioning, ideas, laws, and even wars. This could cause questions that the president himself might not be able to answer and would make him want to end those protests. Maybe make him want to end them so bad that he is willing to have the men that are suppose to be here for our safety ruin lives, murder America’s children, and end the summers of love.

"1970 FBI report Information." //Kent May 4 Center home page//. Kent May 4 Center, Inc., 26 03 2010. Web. 15 Apr 2011. [].
 * Work Citied:**

Canfora, Alan. "KENT STATE, 1970:." //Alan Canfora: May 4 1970//. Alan Canfora, Web. 15 Apr 2011. [] . Lewis Hensely, Jerry Thomas. "THE MAY 4 SHOOTINGS AT KENT STATE UNIVERSITY: THE SEARCH ." //http://dept.kent.edu/sociology/lewis/lewihen.htm//. Kent.edu, Web. 15 Apr 2011. [].

"http://www.ohioverticals.com/special-sections/ksu/." //www.Ohio.com// n. pag. Web. 15 Apr 2011. [].