Tragedy at Kent State in 1970: Protesting the Vietnam War

In 1970, President Nixon sent American troops into Cambodia, which caused student protesters to organize anti-war rallies on university campuses around the United States. Fearing riots, Governor Rhodes of ohio ordered part of the National Guard to Kent State University. On May 4, a banned rally got out of control and the National Guard killed four people and shot eight others. (When... 32). Although a court verdict has never been reached, the National Guard should not have shot American citizens.

The Vietnam War was not supported by many Americans. When Nixon decided to bomb enemy bases in Cambodia, anti-war rallies were held to show him the disapprovement of people in the U.S. A lot of times, these rallies were peaceful. Sometimes though, protesters became drunk and the assembly quicky turned to trashing storefronts and vandalizing property. On May 2, the ROTC building was set on fire. This occured in the days at Kent State proceeding May 4 . Police were called, but the forty-man unit at Kent, Ohio, could not bring the riots under control. When the university president, Robert White, refused to temporarily close the Kent campus, Governor Rhodes issued orders for 700 men from the National Guard to be sent. The Guard arrived May 3, and the students began protesting their presence. There were reports of students being beaten and threatened with bayonets by the Guard; tear gas was also used to disperse crowds. All of this happened even though Rhodes did not officially sign a martial decree banning assemblies until May 5, when the decree was declared retroactive to April 30, 1970. (Four Students Killed... 1-4).

On May 4, student protesters believed that they had the First Amendment right of assembly, and rallied. The Guard used tear gas to attempt to break up the rally, but they quickly ran out. Part of the rally turned into a violent mob, chasing the Guard and throwing rocks. Some of the Guard waved their guns towards the crowd. Eventually, they reached a slope and some began to fire. At first the protesters thought blanks were being shot, but then they realized it was bullets when people became injured. One man seen giving an "obscene gesture" was, according to a Guardsman, punished by being shot twice. (Four Students Killed... 1-4). The volley of bullets only lasted 13 seconds. (Kleinberg 1). A warning was never issued.

There is also a story that a civilian or sniper gunshot triggered a reaction among the Guard. This has not been proven, but it still would not justify the Guard's actions. Most stories refer to the gunshot being from a surrounding building and not from the crowd. (The men aimed into the crowd.) Also, the punishment for vandalism and illegal assembly is not death.

Governor James Rhodes ordered the Ohio National Guard to Kent State when the staff of the university refused to close campus for a short time period. They were sent to keep things under control. Although Rhodes did not take personal control or talk with top Guard officers or university administration, he issued orders and also stated that "troops would remain on campus twelve months a year if necessary."(My God!... 31). About five hundred Guardsmen originally arrived. They had just come from Teamster strikes in Cleveland where rioters were armed and had not slept or eaten well in the past days. By the end of May 3, nine hundred Guardsmen had arrived on campus. (Kent State Martyrdom... 13).

Tactical orders had placed troops in "an unneccessarily vulnerable position" according to military experts (Four Students Killed... 3), and sources conflict over who was the highest ranking official at the time. One article states that Robert Canterbury was the commanding senior officer in 1970 at Kent State University. (Four Students Killed... 1). Another source names Charles Fassinger as the highest-ranking officer at Kent State University. (Kleinberg 1). If we still don't agree over who was in charge, decades later, how could the soldiers have known who was their commander beyond their squad captains? This makes it possible that anyone could have given an order to fire their rifles.

In 1970, standard training for members of the National Guard was extremely minimal. The troops sent to Kent State University were not very experienced either. The Kerner Commission warned in 1967 that Guardsmen with little military training and no combat training could easily panic or misunderstand orders. Senator Stephen Young even told the Senate that a Guardsman accidentally fired his rifle, setting of the reaction mong the Guard. One platoon leader said that some of his men had "never handled a rifle and hardly know how to load it." (Kent State Martyrdom... 14). Some people wonder why the troops even had loaded guns. No one in the crowd was informed that they had live ammunition. Although the government discouraged bloodshed when quelling riots, it was held as a last resort. There is a rule that if a Guardsman feels like he is in danger of losing his life he can fire his loaded gun. (When... 32). Many of the Guard say that they feared for their well-being, although they exaggerated the distance of the crowd by making it seem that the rioters were about fifty feet closer than pictures show they were. In some states Guardsmen would be ordered to not load their rifles, but in Ohio it was common practice to load them, regardless of the knowledge the troops had of their guns. It is not justified for civilians to die because the people meant to protect them are not overly sure of what they are doing or because they panic.

On May 4, twelve people were wounded. Sme of those wounds ended up being fatal to four people. The rest of the injured people were hospitalized. Some of the victims were probably part of the group chasing the Guard and throwing things, but several were not. All the people who died seemed to be just walking by or looking at what was happening. The families of the student victims were naturally upset and most of them sued the government, but their cases were settled out of court. (Four Random, Pointless Deaths 34).

The crimes commited by the students at Kent State University were not punishable by death. No one should have died that day in 1970 on a university campus by American soldiers.

The events of early May, 1970, shocked the nation. Unfortunately, around the same time, two African-American students were shot at Jackson State University. This event did not receive nearly as much attention as the shootings at Kent State University. Part of the reason for this was probably that there were fewer casualties, but it also brings up the point of racism. If events like this happened today, would the Jackson State shootings be covered heavier by the media? Considering that fairly recently there has been several shootings done by highschoolers in their schools, would it send America into such emotional disturbance as in 1970 or during the Colombus shootings if another event like at Kent State University were to happen?