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The protests of the Vietnam War at Kent State were not contained to the university. The students were going into the city of Kent, and breaking the windows of banks and stores. Local businesses also received threats that their business would be destroyed during the protests. On the second of May, the mayor of Kent, LeRoy Satrom, requested the National Guard be sent to Kent. When the National Guard arrived at Kent State, there was a protest on the ROTC building on the campus, and the building was set on fire. On May 4, there were no orders to fire, and the shooting had started based on the assumption the National Guard thought they heard a shot being fired.

There is a National Guard regulation that allows soldiers to fire without an order if they feel their lives are in danger. The general at Kent, Robert Canterbury, said in regards to the shooting, "I am satisfied that these troops felt their lives were in danger... I felt I could have been killed
out there... Considering the size of the rocks and proximity of those throwing them, lives were in danger". If the National Guard felt their lives were in danger, the shooting would be an act of self defense. Because of the tension that surrounded Kent State, both the students and National Guard were put into a dangerous situation. The United States government was only there to keep the protesting at bay, but unfortunately, lives were lost.

There are some people who feel as though the National Guard was justified in the shooting. Some people in the Kent area even went so far as to say that more students should have been killed. Newspaper articles were even printed with negative titles that suggested the acts of the National Guard were accepted, and the shooting was over exaggerated. Even the hometown of Allison Krause, one of the victims, wrote an article, that brought up the idea that veterans die everyday, but it is the four students from Kent State that are making the headlines.

The United States government only tried to help the city of Kent save itself from these protests. Should they be forgiven? Both the National Guard and the protestors at Kent were at fault, but if there is no forgiveness, there needs to be respect for each other.

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Must the Kent State administration and the National Guard apologize for their actions? The students of Kent State certainly think so. On our May 4th tour of Kent State, the student outlined the various times in which the Kent State administration failed to recognize the concerns of the students and properly remember those who were killed and injured in the shootings. The student stated that the administration of Kent State held a commemoration ceremony after the event, but stopped performing the ceremony on the anniversary of the shootings after just three years. It seems as if Kent State thought that forgetting about the event was better than actually apologizing for their part in the crimes.

The Kent State administration further tried to keep the shootings within the past, as they attempted to build a massive World War II memorial upon the grounds of the shooting. Alumni and current students alike joined together to protest such an action, as it was disrespectful to the students who were killed on that ground. Though the memorial was not built, it showcased the university's blatant disregard for the memory of the victims.

Beverley J. Warren was the first president of Kent State University to apologize for the Kent State shooting. However, Warren was not president at the time of the shooting, in fact she took office in 2014, decades after the shooting. Did she have the right to ask for forgiveness when she was never involved in the incident? Should the president of the time be asked to come back and formally request forgiveness? It was the president of the time that requested that the National Guard come to campus, so is he to blame? Eventually a monument was built to honor the students injured or killed in the shootings, but it ended up being only seven-percent of its original size. Speeches and ceremonies are now held in the spot every year, but this is organized by students through different organizations. It seems as if the Kent State administration today still fails to recognize the error of their ways, and what they do now is merely to save face. To Kent State, avoiding the topic was the modus operandi until they were pushed by the students to make a weak attempt at reconciliation.

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Broadhurst, Christopher J. “We Didn’t Fire a Shot, We Didn’t Burn a
Building”. North Carolina Historical Review, 2010.

Martha Nussbaum. Political Emotions: Radical Evil”: Helplessness, Narcissism, Contamination.

Hensley, Thomas R. and Jerry M. Lewis. Kent State & May 4th: A Social Science Perspective. The Kent State University Press, 2010.

Whitney, Helen. Forgiveness: A Time to Love and A Time to Hate.

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By Brianna Boehlke, Mack Mohan, Tia Swallow, Josh Thorne

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Fought between 1955 and 1974 and is one of the most divisive conflicts in American history.

Spanning the regime of four presidents, it was also one of the longest conflicts the United States had been involved in.

The root causes of the Vietnam War date back to colonial times, where it was a colony of France.

The United States became involved in response to official Soviet and Chinese backing of Ho Chi Minh. Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos were declared independent in 1954. Due to differences in ideology, the northern and southern halves were temporarily split into two independent states in the same year. Before the term of this independence ended, Ho Chi Minh, now leader of North Vietnam, declared that North Vietnam would permanently become its own state, and declared war on South Vietnam.The French fight a force of Viet Minh insurgents

President John F. Kennedy escalated the involvement of the United States in Vietnam out of fear of neighboring countries falling to communism

War on a large scale did not break out until after President Kennedy’s assassination. Following increased aggression from North Vietnam attempting to take back South Vietnam, ground troops were deployed to Vietnam.

In 1967, the Viet Cong, the main force of North Vietnam launched a massive invasion into South Vietnam, attacking over 100 cities at once. Although the United States fought off the Viet Cong and inflicted massive losses, they suffered large losses in return, and countless civilians were massacred.

Despite this, President Lyndon B. Johnson continued to escalate the fighting in Vietnam. The continued bloodshed, which had been covered continuously by the newly popular news networks through newly common television sets, had split America into two strongly divided camps: those for the war, and those against it. Bombing raids were the preferred method of attack by the US

Richard Nixon won the presidency in 1968 on a campaign of ending the war. Despite his anti-war campaign Nixon then sent even more troops back into southeast Asia to invade Cambodia and Laos, despite the United States having signed agreements respecting Laos’s neutrality. Despite this increased aggression, North Vietnam would not fall. In January of 1973, Nixon signed a treaty ending offensive strategies in Vietnam, and later that same month he ended all United States involvement with Vietnam.

The Culture of the United States During the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a proxy war of the Cold War. In essence, it was a war fought between the United States and its allies and the Soviet Union and its allies. In the Cold War, tensions were high and so were suspicions.

The United States was caught up in the Red Scare, where being labeled a Communist was one of the worst things that could happen to a person.

The culture of the United States shifted to a more authoritarian one that focused on obedience to authority and patriotism above all else.

In response to this surge of authoritarianism, many young people became disillusioned with mainstream American culture and decided to make a culture for themselves.

Counterculture was called the Hippies. They valued individual freedom and expression, and peace.

To protest the mainstream culture, the counterculture movement rejected conservative ideals and acted very liberal and progressive. They took drugs, engaged in sex and encouraged love without marriage, and lived alternative lifestyles, such as living out of trucks or in communes.

To oppose the Vietnam War, many became draft dodgers, using excuses such as homosexuality or the need to take care of a sick relative. Many also enrolled in college, as university students were exempt from the draft.

This resulted in universities becoming hotspots of liberal counterculture and antiwar protests. In the end, the nation was divided into liberal antiwar protestors, and the conservative, pro-war powers that be. Hippies smoking cannabis in Thailand.

One of the reasons why the American people were so divided about the Vietnam War was the large increase in television news coverage of the war. News networks broadcasted live coverage of fighting and politics, sometimes throughout the day. It was called the “television war” because of this. The excessive televising of the war is one of the reasons why the American people’s opinions on the war were so strong and so split. There was no way to escape news of the war, as both it dominated television and print.

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Over the span of 5 days certain events led up to the start of the May 4th shooting on the campus of Kent Sate University.
On April 30th, President Nixon announced the invasion of Cambodia,
On May 1st, the National Guard was called because of the riot the students were causing, the city was being destroyed. The Nixon announcement triggered a response from students to start protesting this war. Riots began downtown and students on campus bury a copy of the Constitution.
May 2nd someone had set a building on fire. Speculation still stands to who set this building on fire. Initially, a few students and faculty members were accused of this crime and were taken to court. But, they were never convicted of this crime after it was proven that they did not commit them.
May 3rd, James Rhodes, governor of Ohio and Senate candidate, holds a press conference and in it he bashes the protestors comparing them to communists. Students are baffled at this statement and become even more angry than before. Protest continue across the city of Kent and students are forcibly removed. Black students of this time are also very fearful because the Oakland police force was also called in. They were known for police brutality at this time so this left many students of color frightful for what may possibly happen to them. In response, the ceased any protest.
On the day that goes down in history, May 4th, students began protesting throughout the day. 800 guardsmen were put on the campus. They pushed the students to the parking lot and shot tear gas to stop any opposition. Once they were all taken to the parking lot the guardsmen stopped and pointed their weapons at the students. Some guardsmen turned back, looking like they were going to retreat. But, one began to open fire on the students and soon after, others joined.
After this happened, the school was shut down. But, other students could not accept what they considered to be defeat and tried to protest more. This time, they stood next to wounded and dead classmates. The school did not offer an apology and neither did President Nixon. He said that the event was unfortunate, but did not apologize for putting people in a situation that lead to the death and injury of Kent State students.

When the guards open fire, 4 students, Allison Karuse, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer, and William Schroeder were killed.
Joseph Lewis, John Cleary, Thomas Grace, Robbie Stamps, Donald Scott MacKenzie, Alan Canfora, Douglas Wrentmore, James Russell and Dean Kahler were all wounded and sent to the hospital.

Source: Kent State University