Kent State Essay Research Paper On April

Kent State Essay, Research Paper

On April 30th, President Nixon announced on national television that a massive

American-South Vietnamese troop offensive into Cambodia was in progress. “We take these

actions,” Nixon said, “not for the purpose of expanding the war into Cambodia, but for the

purpose of ending the war in Vietnam, and winning the just peace we all desire.”

These were familiar words to a war-weary public. Some felt that this decision was essential for

attaining a “just peace” and sustaining America’s credibility in the world. Yet others, particularly

students, believed that this action represented an escalation of the war and a return to ex-President

Johnson’s earlier hopes for a military victory. As the fires from the artillery began to burn in

Cambodia, a raging fire of protest spread across the United States. At Kent State University, the

reaction to Nixon’s announcement was similar to that of other campuses across the nation.

On Friday May 1,1970 at noon about 500 students gathered around the Victory Bell on the

Commons, the traditional site for rallies. A group of history students, who had organized the

protest, buried a copy of the Constitution, which they claimed had been murdered when US troops

were sent into Cambodia without a declaration of war by Congress. Three hours later, Black

United Students held a rally, which had been scheduled before Nixon had made his announcement.

Some 400 people gathered to hear black students talk about recent disorders with the Ohio

National Guard on their campus. Word spread quickly that another rally, one to oppose the

invasion of Cambodia, was scheduled for Monday, May 4, at noon. Friday night, one of the first

warm evenings of the spring, several hundred students gathered in downtown Kent in an area with

a number of bars, known as “the Strip,” on North Water Street. A spontaneous anti-war rally

began in the street. Twice, while the rally was in progress, passing police cruisers were hit with

beer bottles. Afterwards, police stayed away from the area. Meanwhile, more people were leaving

the bars. Many in the crowd chanted anti-war slogans, and a bonfire was set in the street. The

crowd blocked traffic for about an hour and then moved toward the center of town. Some

members of the crowd began to break windows. Primarily “political targets” were attacked,

including banks, loan companies, and utility companies. After being informed of the events, Kent

Mayor Leroy Satrom declared a “state of emergency,” and arbitrarily ordered all of the bars

closed. Kent police, along with the mayor, then confronted the crowd. The riot act was read and

police proceeded to clear the area. People inside the bars were ordered to leave, forcing hundreds

more into the streets. The crowd was herded toward the campus with tear gas and knight sticks,

which was in the opposite direction in which some of them lived. Fourteen persons, mostly

stragglers, were arrested. About $5000 in damage was done as 43 windows were broken–28 in

one bank.

On the morning of May 2, some KSU students assisted with the downtown cleanup.

Rumors of radical activities were widespread, and KSU’s ROTC building was believed to be the

target of militant students that evening. During the Vietnam War, students on many college

campuses opposed the presence of ROTC and often were successful in forcing the removal of

ROTC from their campuses. A dusk-to-dawn curfew was imposed on the city of Kent, and

students were restricted to the campus. At 5 p.m., shortly after assessing the situation, Mayor

Satrom alerted the Ohio National Guard. KSU officials were unaware of this decision. Shortly

after 8 p.m., about 300 people gathered on the Commons, where a few anti-war slogans were

chanted and a few brief speeches given. An impromptu march began and participants headed

towards the dormitories to gain strength. Large numbers of people joined the march. The now

2,000 marches swarmed the hill overlooking the Commons, crossed the Commons. Then they

surrounded the ROTC building, an old wooden World War II barracks which was scheduled to be

demolished. Windows were broken and a few persons eventually set the building on fire.

Plain-clothed police who were standing nearby made no attempt to stop the students at this point.

Firemen arrived on the scene but their actions were abandoned because some of the crowd

attacked the firemen and slashed their hoses. The blaze quickly died out.

The firemen eventually regained control and the fire died out. The building was ignited again. This

time, however, firemen arrived with massive police protection. Police surrounded the building and

dispersed the students with tear gas. The firemen again got the fire under control. The crowd then

moved to the front of the campus. The students retreated to the Commons to find the ROTC

building smoldering at both ends. Within minutes, the building was fully ablaze. The crowd then

assembled on the woode

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