Kent in Portage County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Law and Order and Dissent
Top of Commons
| | May 4 National Historic Landmark Site Tour | |
Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, May 23, 2025
1. Law and Order and Dissent Marker
Company C moved toward the Prentice Hall side of Taylor Hall. Guardsmen aimed rifles at a young man who continued to throw rocks. Troop G and Company A followed the larger part of the crowd up Blanket Hill between Taylor Hall and Johnson Hall. At about 12:10 p.m., the rally on the Commons was dispersed. The Guard continued marching beyond Taylor Hall.
"These students will have to learn what law and order is all about." - General Robert Canterbury, Noon, May 4, 1970
Erected 2024 by May 4 Visitors Center. (Marker Number 4.)
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° 9.008′ N, 81° 20.712′ W. Marker is in Kent, Ohio, in Portage County. It is on Janik Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 375 Janik Drive, Kent OH 44243, United States of America.
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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: Freedom of Speech and Assembly (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); Further Tragedy Averted (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Day the War Came Home (about 400 feet away); May 4 National Historic Landmark Site (about 400 feet away); Solar Totem #1 (about 400 feet away); Practice Field: End of the Advance / Thirteen Seconds (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kent.
Also see . . . National Historic Landmark Site Tour.
Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, May 23, 2025
2. The Commons
The view of the Commons from the historical marker. The Victory Bell marks where the protest began; the hilltop behind Taylor Hall is from where the Ohio National Guard would later fire upon the students.
This outdoor trail is self-guided and available any time the campus grounds are open. It includes seven exhibit panels that take visitors through the events of May 4, 1970. Along the trail that goes around The Commons and Taylor Hall, you will see campus landmarks like the Victory Bell, May 4 Memorial, Solar Totem #1 sculpture, the Pagoda, wounded student markers, and fallen student spaces.(Submitted on June 10, 2025, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 10, 2025, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York. This page has been viewed 108 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 10, 2025, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
