Kent in Portage County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Day the War Came Home

May 4 Visitors Center

— May 4 National Historic Landmark Site Tour —

The Day the War Came Home Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, May 23, 2025

1. The Day the War Came Home Marker

Inscription. On April 30, 1970, President Richard Nixon announced that U.S. troops had invaded Cambodia. Students viewed this as an escalation of the Vietnam War, when Nixon had vowed troop withdrawal. Like students nationwide, Kent State students protested. On May 1, they symbolically buried the U.S. Constitution, saying Nixon had "murdered" it. Black United Students rallied to discuss harsh treatment of demonstrators elsewhere and warned members to avoid campus gatherings.

On May 4 at noon, Ohio National Guard troops advanced on a protest rally. Twenty minutes later, guardsmen killed four students and wounded nine others. College students nationwide reacted with the largest student protest strike in U.S. history.

“From Vietnam to Cambodia, from Los Angeles to Memphis, from Kent State to the Watergate, the American spirit suffered under one shock after another, and the confidence of our people was deeply shaken.” - President Jimmy Carter

Erected 2024. (Marker Number 1.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Events • War, Vietnam. A significant historical date for this entry is May 4, 1970.

Location. 41° 9.036′ N, 81° 20.636′ W. Marker is in Kent, Ohio, in Portage County. It is on Midway Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 Midway Drive, Kent OH 44243, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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Regionally, this marker is in Greater Cleveland

and in the Western Reserve.

It is also in the American Midwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: May 4 National Historic Landmark Site (here, next to this marker); Further Tragedy Averted (a few steps from this marker); Kent State Shootings Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); 4 Dead and 9 Wounded (within shouting distance of this marker); Kent State University (within shouting distance of this marker); Solar Totem #1 (within shouting distance of this marker); Site of the Shooting of Kent State Students May 4, 1970 (within shouting distance of this marker); The May 4, 1970, Kent State Shootings Site (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kent.

Also see . . . National Historic Landmark Site Tour Trail Markers.

Trace the steps of history through this documentary in the style of Ken Burns -- based on 500 archival photographs never before brought together and narrated by notable civil rights leader Julian Bond. The chapters of the documentary are keyed to the seven Walking Tour trail markers.

(Submitted on June 9, 2025, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York.)

The Victory Bell image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, May 23, 2025

2. The Victory Bell

The Victory Bell, located near Taylor Hall on the Kent State University campus, is where the May 4 protests began.

Welcome Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, May 23, 2025

3. Welcome Marker

This welcome marker, located next to this historic marker, includes a map of the other landmarks included on the historic tour.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 9, 2025, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York. This page has been viewed 137 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 9, 2025, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.