Kent State

A detailed Summary of Kent State

After a long period of fighting a defensive war in Vietnam, on April 29, 1970, President Richard Nixon launched a full scale attack in Cambodia, which greatly accelerated America's involvement in this conflict. The reaction from the American college student population was one that led into great controversy and heated debates. "Nixon said, 'not for the purpose of expanding the war into Cambodia, but for ending the war in Vietnam, and winning the just peace we all desire" (May 4, 2).When Nixon announced his decision on the following day, many people were upset, and thousands of people protested. The end result of one particular protest was bloody, and a perfect example of what terrible shape our country was in during that period of time. Thoughtless mistakes such as the ones made on that day would have a snowball affect that lead into problems for all persons involved.

On May 3, 1970, students of Kent State University rallied to protest Nixon's announcement. There was violent protesting all through the night. Windows were busted, cars were destroyed, and the ROTC building was burned to the ground(The Ethical Spectacle 1). When the firemen arrived, their hoses were taken by students and used against them. At that point, Governor

The following day Governor Rhodes was accused by the campus senate of bringing the troops in for political reasons, and the entire nation was outraged about what had happened. There were countless protests held against the war and this incident. Also, memorial ceremonies were held all over the country. Nixon released a couple of statements that showed no sorrow for the victims, but rather implied that they got what was coming to them. His basic argument was that violence would only end in tragedy, and that people should demonstrate their feelings peacefully if they felt it necessary to demonstrate them at all. After a lengthy investigation, there were several indictments handed out, but they were not given to the shooters. "Since all were wearing gas masks, it is impossible to identify them in pictures" (Spectacle 2). The people charged with crimes were the protesters. Eventually there was a hearing for the shooters, but they were found not guilty. They argued that they had been afraid for their lives and were left with no option. Again the nation was outraged. At this point a massive student strike was launched. At schools all over the country students made violent protests against the government, but there was nothing that could be done. Nixon had been warned in a letter signed by thirty-seven university and college presidents of the potential dange

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Approximate Word count = 918
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History