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

Freedom of Speech and Assembly

Victory Bell

— May 4 National Historic Landmark Site Tour —

Freedom of Speech and Assembly Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, May 23, 2025

1. Freedom of Speech and Assembly Marker

Inscription. By noon on May 4, 2,000-3,000 people were assembled peacefully on this site, some to protest the escalation of the Vietnam War and the presence of the Ohio National Guard on campus. Most were observers. Others felt connected to the counterculture movement. Some were campus activists. All were exercising their First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and assembly.

Meanwhile, 103 members and 10 officers of the Ohio National Guard lined up 500 feet away. Campus police officer Harold Rice repeated General Robert Canterbury's order to disperse. The demonstrators remained. General Canterbury ordered the guardsment to advance.

11:00 am Victory Bell begins summoning people to rally
11:45 am Troops take position at site of ROTC building
11:50 am Jeep moves out with order to disperse
12:05 pm General Canterbury orders troops to advance

“There was no feeling of danger or impending catastrophe.... We were not doing anything that made us imagine the outcome.” - Joseph J. Lewis, wounded student

Erected 2024 by May 4 Visitors Center. (Marker Number 3.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic

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lists: Notable Events • Peace • War, Vietnam. In addition, it is included in the Historic Bells series list. A significant historical date for this entry is May 4, 1970.

Location. 41° 9.033′ N, 81° 20.737′ W. Marker is in Kent, Ohio, in Portage County. It is on Commons. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Commons, Kent OH 44243, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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: Law and Order and Dissent (within shouting distance of this marker); By Any Means Necessary (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Site of the Shooting of Kent State Students May 4, 1970 (about 400 feet away); The May 4, 1970, Kent State Shootings Site (about 400 feet

Victory Bell image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, May 23, 2025

2. Victory Bell

The students rallied for protest with the sound of the Victory Bell on May 4, 1970.

away); Further Tragedy Averted (about 400 feet away); The Day the War Came Home (about 500 feet away); May 4 National Historic Landmark Site (about 500 feet away); Kent State Shootings Memorial (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kent.

Also see . . . National Historic Landmark Site Tour. 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.)

Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, May 23, 2025

3. The Commons

The site of the peaceful assembly that took place on May 4, 1970 before the order to disperse was given by the Ohio National Guard.

The Kent Four image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, May 23, 2025

4. The Kent Four

This sculpture by Alastair Granville-Jackson is located near the historical marker. It was completed in 1971 as a tribute to the four slain students.

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 116 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 10, 2025, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.