| Address |
| Kent State University Main Campus, Kent, OH 44240, USA (Kent, Ohio)
|
| |
| Information |
Kent State Shootings
At Kent State University on May 4, 1970 four college students were killed and another nine wounded by gunfire from a group of Ohio National Guard. The incident would lead to increased protests at universities across the country and in Washington D.C. More than 900 schools around the US were shut down in what still is the largest strike by US students in history. The tragedy would lead to the military to design and utilize weapons for crowd dispersal that were less likely to be lethal.
The days leading up to the shootings at Kent State were full of protests, rallies and rioting. Property was damaged at the college as well as in town and an act of arson burned an ROTC building on the campus. Protesters angered over the Vietnam War and President Nixon's decision to invade Cambodia mixed with drunken bikers and opportunists to create a chaotic situation that spread panic through the local area. The National Guard was called in to bring order to the situation.
13 Seconds
On the afternoon of May 4th, protesters gathered for a scheduled rally near the campus commons. Roughly 2,000 people were in attendance for the event. Fearing that the rally could lead to further rioting, National Guard units were sent in to disperse the crowd. When verbal warnings and tear gas were unable to break up the rally, seventy seven National Guardsmen approached the protesters with bayonets on their rifles. This succeeded in dispersing some but not all of the protesters. Scattered groups continued to angrily shout and throw rocks from the sports field, Blanket Hill, Taylor Hall and other areas around the Guardsmen.
After roughly twenty minutes of huddles to discuss further action, the Guardsmen began to head back the way they had approached the scene. Protesters from Taylor Hall began to follow the Guardsmen. At this moment, twenty nine of the Guardsmen whirled about and began firing not at the pursuing protesters, but at the students who were at a distance from them. In the next thirteen seconds, 67 rounds were fired from the Guardsmens' rifles. While some shot in the air or at the ground, others shot right at the students.
Four Dead in Ohio
Students Allison Krause(age 19), Jeffrey Miller (age 20), Sandra Scheuer (age 20) and William Schroeder (age 19) were slain by the Guardsmens' bullets. Scheuer and Schroeder had not even been involved with the protest. They were just Kent University students walking on their way to class and happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Wounded that day were Thomas Mark Grace, Joseph Lewis Jr., John R. Cleary, Alan Canfora, Dean Kahler, Douglas Wrentmore, James Dennis Russell, Robert Stamps, Donald Scott MacKenzie. Dean Kahler was permanently paralyzed by his wound.
The closest any of these students had been to the Guardsmen was 71 feet. Most were over 300 feet away.
Tin Soldiers and Nixon Coming
Within days of the shooting music group Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young recorded a song that Neil Young wrote in response to the tragedy. Their song, Ohio, showed outrage over the deaths and called for the public to wake up and take a stand against the current government system. In Young's words "How can you run when you know?".
The song would prove controversial and was even banned from many radio stations. Today it stands as a classic example of the protest songs of that era.
Other writers, artists and musicians would find inspiration in the events at Kent State that day. Songs about the Kent State shootings have been recorded by a wide range of artists from Steve Miller to Skinny Puppy. Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale of the New Wave group Devo were students of Kent State University at the time of the shooting. Gerald Casale was friends with two of the slain students and even saw his friend Allison Krause shot from just a few yards away.
Kent State photojournalism student John Filo was in a photography lab when the shootings occurred. He rushed outside with his camera to capture images of the incident. He wound up with a Pulitzer prize for his photo of 14 year old war protester Mary Ann Vecchio as she screamed over the fallen body of her friend Jeffrey Miller. Filo has claimed to have been shot at by a Guardsman who noticed him taking photos. The photo instantly became an iconic image of the protests of the time period.
Gotta Get Down to It
The incident led to further protests across the country. The investigation into the incident and grand jury indictment of eight of the Guardsman never led to trial. District Judge Frank Battisti dismissed all charges against the guardsmen in 1974. To this day there is debate as whether what happened that day was legally justified action or suppression of American freedom and outright acts of murder.
In 2007, shooting victim Alan Canfora discovered a reel-to-reel audio recording of the shooting that allegedly shows that there was an order given to the Guardsmen to aim at the students and fire. He seeks to reopen the case.
Memorials on Campus
There are many memorials to the victims of the Kent State Shootings. Some of the memorials are at other locations such as Princeton University and Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School. A few are located on the Kent State campus itself.
At the top of a hill overlooking the scene of the violence rests the May 4 Memorial. Four granite disks lead to four pylons with benches and a granite walkway nearby. Engraved into the walkway are the words Inquire, Learn and Reflect.
There are also memorials in the form of raised platforms where each of the four students died. Each platform features the slain students name and four lamp posts.
There are yearly events at Kent State to memorialize the victims. The events include candle-light vigils, guest speakers, music, silent marches and ringing of the victory bell that was rung to signal the start of the protest rally on the day of the shootings. |
| |
| GPS Interface |
Save Waypoint to Garmin Device.
|
|
| |
| User Trips |
| There are no user trips associated with this location. |
| |
| Related Sites |
Wikipedia: Kent State Shootings
Wikipedia entry for the shootings in 1970 at Kent State University. |
Learning From Lyrics: Ohio
Learing from Lyrics.org's entry on Neil Young's "Ohio". A song written in protest of the shootings at Kent State. |
| |
| Similar Destinations |
| The Flavel House Museum |
| Dade Battlefield Historic State Park, Florida |
| Amityville Horror House |
| |
| See Also on TheCabinet.com |
| Blog: The Kent State Shootings (05/04/08) |
| |
| Available from Amazon.com |
13 Seconds: A Look Back at the Kent State Shootings |
Four Dead in Ohio: Was There a Conspiracy at Kent State |
Kent State: What Happened and Why |
Kent State/May 4: Echoes Through a Decade |
The Kent State Tragedy (American Moments) |
The Fourth of May: Killings and Coverups at Kent State |
| |
