Four Dead in Ohio: Understanding the Kent State Massacre of May 4th, 1970.
The Kent State Massacre was a tragic event that occurred on May 4th, 1970, at Kent State University in Ohio. *It was a day that began with protests against the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War and ended in bloodshed and violence. The United States' support of South Vietnam and involvement in the Vietnam War had divided the American public since 1965, as many disagreed with the government’s commitment to preventing the spread of communism in Asia. In particular, the focus of the protests was how brutally the war was being conducted by the US military. Across America, young people loudly protested conscription and many college campuses became hubs of anti-war …show more content…
The startling thirteen seconds of gunfire, in which more than 67 bullets were discharged, left four students dead: Allison Krause (19), William Schroeder (19), Jeffrey Miller (20), and Sandra Scheuer (20). Only Krause and Miller were part of the demonstrations at all. The others, as well as some of the nine other injured students, had been walking to class or watching when they were shot. In the immediate aftermath of the massacre, 21-year-old journalism student John Filo risked his life to document the tragedy. His photographs of the lifeless bodies lying on the university grounds became iconic symbols of the Vietnam anti-war movement. One photograph, taken of Mary Anne Vecchio, a 14-year-old runaway, screaming as she kneels over the body of Jeffrey Miller, won the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography in …show more content…
"2 Government officials clashed with students and the families of the victims. In a statement to the press, Alison Krause’s father, Arthur Krause, responded to the president’s comment, asking, “Is this dissent a crime? Is this a reason for killing her?”3 At first, the government was reluctant to respond to public calls to investigate the tragedy. However, President Nixon later established a Commission on Campus Unrest to investigate the incident. On September 26th, 1970, it concluded that the guardsmen's actions were "unnecessary, unwarranted, and inexcusable." Subsequently, a US Grand Jury investigation focused on the guardsmen's role. Earlier state investigations had resulted in indictments against students, but most cases were dropped due to weak evidence. A second grand jury, led by Stanley Pettinger, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, was thought necessary to investigate why the guardsmen opened fire, but it did not aim to indict either students or National
The Kent State Massacre was a tragic event that occurred on May 4th, 1970, at Kent State University in Ohio. *It was a day that began with protests against the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War and ended in bloodshed and violence. The United States' support of South Vietnam and involvement in the Vietnam War had divided the American public since 1965, as many disagreed with the government’s commitment to preventing the spread of communism in Asia. In particular, the focus of the protests was how brutally the war was being conducted by the US military. Across America, young people loudly protested conscription and many college campuses became hubs of anti-war …show more content…
The startling thirteen seconds of gunfire, in which more than 67 bullets were discharged, left four students dead: Allison Krause (19), William Schroeder (19), Jeffrey Miller (20), and Sandra Scheuer (20). Only Krause and Miller were part of the demonstrations at all. The others, as well as some of the nine other injured students, had been walking to class or watching when they were shot. In the immediate aftermath of the massacre, 21-year-old journalism student John Filo risked his life to document the tragedy. His photographs of the lifeless bodies lying on the university grounds became iconic symbols of the Vietnam anti-war movement. One photograph, taken of Mary Anne Vecchio, a 14-year-old runaway, screaming as she kneels over the body of Jeffrey Miller, won the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography in …show more content…
"2 Government officials clashed with students and the families of the victims. In a statement to the press, Alison Krause’s father, Arthur Krause, responded to the president’s comment, asking, “Is this dissent a crime? Is this a reason for killing her?”3 At first, the government was reluctant to respond to public calls to investigate the tragedy. However, President Nixon later established a Commission on Campus Unrest to investigate the incident. On September 26th, 1970, it concluded that the guardsmen's actions were "unnecessary, unwarranted, and inexcusable." Subsequently, a US Grand Jury investigation focused on the guardsmen's role. Earlier state investigations had resulted in indictments against students, but most cases were dropped due to weak evidence. A second grand jury, led by Stanley Pettinger, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, was thought necessary to investigate why the guardsmen opened fire, but it did not aim to indict either students or National