kent state shootings
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Kent State Shootings. Background: Kent State. Public University Established in 1910 Located in Kent Ohio One of the larger Universities in Ohio. Background: Protests. Background: Protests. In 1968, President Nixon promised the nation that he would begin winding down the Vietnam War - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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KENT STATE SHOOTINGS
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BACKGROUND: KENT STATE• Public University
• Established in 1910
• Located in Kent Ohio
• One of the larger Universities in Ohio
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BACKGROUND: PROTESTS
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BACKGROUND: PROTESTS• In 1968, President Nixon
promised the nation that he would begin winding down the Vietnam War
• “Peace with honor”
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BACKGROUND: PROTESTS• Initially kept his word
• But, in April it was announced on live television that the United States would be invading Cambodia
• Caused public outcry across the nation
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MAY 1ST (FRIDAY)• Students at Kent State held a peaceful anti-war protest
• Planned another protest for Monday the 4th
• Later that day students out at the local bars restarted the protest on the Kent city streets.
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MAY 1ST (FRIDAY)• In response, the mayor of Kent (LeRoy Satrom) called in all
available police to contain the demonstrators
• Also closed the bars, causing more people to join the protests
• As time went on the protest increasingly more violent; bonfires, blocked traffic, and throwing rocks and bottles
• Police eventually used teargas to push the protesters back to the Campus
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MAY 2ND (SATURDAY)• Kent Mayor meets with advisors and National Guard representatives
• On Campus, the ROTC building was set on fire and burned to the ground
• Decision was made to ask Governor Rhodes for National Guard assistance
• Fearful of rumors that revolutionaries were in the crowds
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MAY 3RD (SUNDAY)• By Sunday morning over 1000 Guardsmen were on the campus
• Beautiful and warm day, students chatting with the Guardsmen
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MAY 3RD (SUNDAY)• Ohio Governor James
Rhodes flew into Kent State to see the situation
• Made several inflammatory statements
• Called the protestors: “the worst kind of people in America”
• Decision was made to ban Monday’s rally
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MAY 4TH (MONDAY)
• Rally was held anyway, but now against the National Guard presence on the campus
• University and National Guard leaders got on bullhorns and ordered students to disperse
• University distributed leaflets informing students that the protest had been banned
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MAY 4TH (MONDAY)• Guardsmen were ordered to lock and load their weapons
• Began to march across the commons, intending to push the students back
• Inadvertently got separated and trapped in a sea of students/protestors
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MAY 4TH (MONDAY)• 28 Guardsmen suddenly opened fire
• Most fired into the air, but some fired into the crowd
• 4 students were killed, 9 wounded
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MAY 4TH (MONDAY)
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REACTION TO THE SHOOTING• Nation was sent into an uproar
• Kent State was closed for the semester
• Hundreds of other colleges around the country were closed
• Nixon (and many in the nation) blamed the protestors
• Guardsmen claimed they were acting in self defense, later proven by the FBI to be false
• A week later 100,000 people gathered in Washington D.C. to protest the invasion of Cambodia
• When he heard of the tragedy Neil Young wrote the song “Ohio”