May 4 Ohio
By Distributorcap
On Thursday April 30, 1970, President Richard Nixon ordered American troops to invade Cambodia. On Monday May 4, 1970 the violence of Southeast Asia reached a university campus in Central Ohio.
In the span of less than 2 minutes, the Ohio National Guard sprayed bullets into a crowd of students protesting the expansion of a hated war. Four students were dead, nine others were wounded.
Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming,
Four dead in Ohio.
Nixon had won the 1968 election over Hubert Humphrey, primarily due to America's growing bitterness toward the war in Vietnam. The split grew so severe, President Lyndon Johnson was practically run out of the election - withdrawing from contention on March 30, 1968. American troop levels in South Vietnam had peaked in 1967, and by 1969 - there were actual troop withdrawals from the war. Nixon's expansion surprised and angered the American population - especially those in college.
The day after Nixon's announcement, demonstrations sprung up around the country. Friday May 1 saw a 500 student protest on the Kent State Campus. That night there was looting in town. The next day Mayor Leroy Satrom asked Ohio Governor James Rhodes to sent National Guard troops to Kent. Later that night the ROTC building on campus was in flames. The National Guard was forced to use tear gas to quell the mayhem.
On Sunday, Governor Rhodes held a press conference, calling the protestors revolutionaries, communists and brownshirts. He threatened to ban any further demonstrations. On Sunday night there was another protest on the Kent State Campus.
On Monday, over 2,000 students gathered for another sit-in in the center of the University. After three days of violence and unruly crowds, the Ohio National Guard was ordered to disperse the crowds. When the police began to make there way into the crowd, rocks were tossed at a patrol jeep. When the Guard returned a bit later, this time they used tear gas. Wind weakened the effects of the gas - and again rocks were tossed at the National Guardsmen.
More Guardsmen were called in and began to advance on the students. As the student retreated over a small hill, the guard followed, ending up on a practice athletic field. Some of the students continued to taunt the Guardsmen. Then at 1224p - shots rang out in the direction of the students. 29 of the 70 or so National Guard fired their weapons.
Four students were shot dead, nine were wounded. Two of the four dead were protestors, the other two were literally walking to class.
In the aftermath of the shootings, hundreds of colleges and high schools closed down due to student strikes and protests. It is estimated over 4 millions students protested in the months following. Kent State closed for six weeks.
For years debate and allegations raged. The Guard claimed they fear for lives. Other shooters claimed it was an accident. Each side blamed the other.
Gotta get down to it
Soldiers are cutting us down
Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her
And found her dead on the ground.
How can you run when you know?
In many ways, Kent State was a turning point (in a period with many turning points). Photographs of the dead were distributed around the world, including one of the most "iconic" images of the entire anti-war movement - 14 year old runaway Mary Ann Vecchio screaming in shock over the dead body of Jeffrey Miller. On May 9, over 100,000 people marched in Washington. Nixon was persuaded to leave town for his safety.
Ten days later, 2 students were shot dead at Jackson State while protesting.
In September - 25 people (including 24 students) were indicted due to the ROTC building fire. One was convicted, and 2 pled guilty. Eight of the Ohio Guardsmen were indicted. In 1974, the charges against the guard were dropped. A civil case against the guard, the governor and the University resulted in verdicts for all the defendants. That case was also tossed. The case was then settled and the defendants had to publicly apologize.
To this day - it is not known exactly why the shots were fired.
In 1970, America was deeply split over a war that was going nowhere and killing thousands of troops. In 2010, America is again deeply split - a split that has been exacerbated by a war that is going nowhere and killing American soldiers. And like in 1970 - America is finding itself not only involved in a misguided and immoral foreign war - but at war with itself.
But this time the societal split is not just along generational lines. It is cultural, it is religious, it is economic - and like 1860 it is now racial. I fear for the next Kent State.
Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming,
Four dead in Ohio.
On Thursday April 30, 1970, President Richard Nixon ordered American troops to invade Cambodia. On Monday May 4, 1970 the violence of Southeast Asia reached a university campus in Central Ohio.
In the span of less than 2 minutes, the Ohio National Guard sprayed bullets into a crowd of students protesting the expansion of a hated war. Four students were dead, nine others were wounded.
Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming,
Four dead in Ohio.
The day after Nixon's announcement, demonstrations sprung up around the country. Friday May 1 saw a 500 student protest on the Kent State Campus. That night there was looting in town. The next day Mayor Leroy Satrom asked Ohio Governor James Rhodes to sent National Guard troops to Kent. Later that night the ROTC building on campus was in flames. The National Guard was forced to use tear gas to quell the mayhem.
On Sunday, Governor Rhodes held a press conference, calling the protestors revolutionaries, communists and brownshirts. He threatened to ban any further demonstrations. On Sunday night there was another protest on the Kent State Campus.
On Monday, over 2,000 students gathered for another sit-in in the center of the University. After three days of violence and unruly crowds, the Ohio National Guard was ordered to disperse the crowds. When the police began to make there way into the crowd, rocks were tossed at a patrol jeep. When the Guard returned a bit later, this time they used tear gas. Wind weakened the effects of the gas - and again rocks were tossed at the National Guardsmen.
Four students were shot dead, nine were wounded. Two of the four dead were protestors, the other two were literally walking to class.
In the aftermath of the shootings, hundreds of colleges and high schools closed down due to student strikes and protests. It is estimated over 4 millions students protested in the months following. Kent State closed for six weeks.
For years debate and allegations raged. The Guard claimed they fear for lives. Other shooters claimed it was an accident. Each side blamed the other.
Gotta get down to it
Soldiers are cutting us down
Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her
And found her dead on the ground.
How can you run when you know?
Ten days later, 2 students were shot dead at Jackson State while protesting.
In September - 25 people (including 24 students) were indicted due to the ROTC building fire. One was convicted, and 2 pled guilty. Eight of the Ohio Guardsmen were indicted. In 1974, the charges against the guard were dropped. A civil case against the guard, the governor and the University resulted in verdicts for all the defendants. That case was also tossed. The case was then settled and the defendants had to publicly apologize.
To this day - it is not known exactly why the shots were fired.
In 1970, America was deeply split over a war that was going nowhere and killing thousands of troops. In 2010, America is again deeply split - a split that has been exacerbated by a war that is going nowhere and killing American soldiers. And like in 1970 - America is finding itself not only involved in a misguided and immoral foreign war - but at war with itself.
But this time the societal split is not just along generational lines. It is cultural, it is religious, it is economic - and like 1860 it is now racial. I fear for the next Kent State.
Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming,
Four dead in Ohio.
posted by Michael J.W. Stickings at
1:20 PM
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