Kent State University

Kent State University. May 4, 1970. , In 1968, Richard Nixon won the presidency partly based on a campaign promise to end the Vietnam War. Though the war seemed to be winding down, on April 30, 1970, Nixon announced the invasion of Cambodia, triggering protests across college campuses. On Friday, May 1, an anti-war rally was held on the Commons at Kent State University. Protestors called for another rally to be held Monday, May 4. Disturbances in downtown Kent that night caused city officials to ask Governor James Rhodes to send the Ohio National Guard to maintain order. Troops put on alert Saturday afternoon were called to campus Saturday evening after an ROTC building was set on fire. Sunday morning in a press conference that was also broadcast to the troops on campus, Rhodes vowed to “eradicate the problem” of protests at Kent State., On May 4, 1970, Kent State students protested on the Commons regarding the U.S. invasion of Cambodia and the presence of the National Guard to campus to quell demonstrations. Guard troops advanced, driving students past Taylor Hall. A small group of protestors taunted the Guard from the Prentice Hall parking lot. The National Guard marched back to the Pagoda where members of Company A, 145th Infantry, and Troop G, 107th Armored Cavalry, turned and fired 61-67 shots during the thirteen seconds. Four students were killed, Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer, and William Schroeder. Nine students were wounded –Alan Canfora, John Clearly, Thomas Grace, Dean Kahler, Joseph Lewis, D. Scott MacKenzie, James Russell, Robert Stamps, and Douglas Wrentmore. Those shot were 20 to 245 yards away from the Guard. The Report of the President’s Commission on Campus Unrest concluded that the shootings were “unnecessary, unwarranted, and inexcusable.”