Ebony+P.

=**May 10, 2010 - Preliminary research**=

Please post the following items:


 * Final Draft:

Rough Draft:** Kent State Shootings In 1950 after World War II , the French had control over  Vietnam  however, communist revolutionary Ho Chi Minh believed Vietnam Should be an independent nation. Minh lead a revolution that resulted in the split of Vietnam into communist north lead by himself and Anti-communist south led by Ngo Dinh Diem. The United States supported Diem because they believed that communion was a threat that was likely to spread. Minh hoped to unite Vietnam under communist rule while on the other hand Diem was content with remaining two separate powers. Minh attacked South Vietnam and the United States reacted by sending a group of advisors and monetary funds to Aid French in its war efforts to regain control over Vietnam. The United States did not provide any major support to South Vietnam until after the death of Diem and the August 1964 incident when the USS Maddox was damaged in the Gulf of Tonkin. President Johnson then Saw a need for troops in the Vietnam War and sent thousands of troops to help in the fight against communism. People believed that the President had contradicted himself by sending these troops to Vietnam after he promised that he was not going to "send American boys 9 or 10,000 miles away from home to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves. “Man Americans got the feeling that America was fighting a war it couldn't possibly win. The strongest opposers of the war at the time proved to be College United States and university teachers and students. Professors began to stage teach-ins to protest the war by educating their students about involvement United States in the war. Over one-thousand college and university professors took part in the teach-ins. In 1969, President Richard M. Nixon announced that he would begin to withdrawal troops from  South Vietnam  which gave many Americans hope that the United States involvement in the war was coming to an end. Six months later however a draft lottery was introduced which meant that all Men between the ages of eighteen and twenty five should be ready to got to war if necessary. On April 30, 1970 President Nixon announced that the United States would invade Vietnams neighboring country of Cambodia. There was belief that troops North Vietnam were in hiding in Cambodia and the United States believed that bombing Cambodia would remove all troops from hiding. Many Americans were not pleased with this decision because they believed that it would force Cambodia to join in the war effort and if that was s to happen the United States would be seen as spreading the war, not trying to end it. The news of this planned invasion upset many at State University students, who opposed the war effort altogether. On May 4, 1970 in Kent Ohio thousands of students who attended Kent State University planned a rally to protest President Nixon's ideas regarding the Vietnam War; however the day went far from what the anti-war involvement students had planned and ultimately led to the death of four students, the closing of hundreds of colleges and universities and as some would argue the collapse of the Nixon administration. Kent After President Nixon announced his plan to invade Cambodia, On Friday May 1, 1970 at Kent Sate over five-hundred students began to gather on the Commons of their school ground, an area that was traditionally used as a site for rallies. A group of history students the set fire to a copy of the United States Constitution claming that the government murdered the constitution when they sent troops into Cambodia without an official declaration of war by congress. On that Friday night  students gathered in downtown Kent and an anti-war rally began in the streets. The students blocked traffic and broke windows and while the police tried to disperse the crowd, they were hit with beer bottles and a bonfire was sent in the middle of the street. Kent Mayor Leroy Satrom declared a "state of emergency" and confronted the crowd of protesters and ordered them to disperse. Although the first rally was over it cost the city over five-thousand dollars in damages and public reaction was varied because some supported the actions taken while others were outraged by these actions. On Saturday May 2, 1970 the rallying was planned and the campuses ROTC building was believed to be a target of militant attack later on that evening. Overwhelmed by rumors of radical activities, Mayor Satrom to alerted Ohio State National Guard and requested assistance in disassembling the protestors. About two-thousand protestors gathered on the commons and later surrounded the ROTC building while some attempted to set the building ablaze. The building was eventually set on fire and firefighters were unable to contain the fire because the protestors slashed hoses which prevented them from stopping the blaze. The crowd then moved to the front of the campus where they were met by the National Guard who then used tear gas and bayonets to break up the rally. On Sunday May 3, 1970, Ohio Governor James Rhodes, looking for a Senate seat, arrived in Kent and delivered a news conference where he claimed that the demonstrations at Kent State were the handiwork of highly organized bands of revolutionaries who were out to destroy higher education in Ohio. Governor Rhodes stated that he would use the necessary force to drive these protestors out of Kent State. From this news conference the National Guard fell under the impression that Ohio law provided them the right to shoot if they felt it was necessary which heightened the guard’s level of hostility towards the students. Later on that evening there was an attempt to protest both war ideas and the presence of the nation guard on campus but students were refused the right because of the new curfew and those were forced to peacefully disassemble or face tear gas and risk arrest.

On Monday May 4, 1970 local officials had met and some local officials were under the impression that martial law was in effect and the National Guard resolved to disperse assembly of any sort. At around noon fifteen hundred thousand students had gathered on the commons to solely protest the invasion of Cambodia and presence of National Guard on campus. Students were warned to disperse or face the guard but few took heed to the warning and those who stuck around taunted the guard with chants and jeers. General Canterbury then ordered the one hundred and sixteen guardsmen to disperse the crowd. The guard then resolved to use M1-rifles, bayonets and tear gas to disperse the large crowd but the students fled to a nearby Blanket Hill and some retaliated against the guard by throwing tear gas canisters and pelting them with rocks while they initiated position on the campus practice football field. Then members of Troop G knelt on the ground and aimed their weapons towards the students while other guard members began to retreat after general Canterbury resolved the crow began to disperse and their job was done. The students were under the impression that the confrontation was over and many began to walk to their next classes. As the guard reached the peak of Blanket Hill about a dozen members of Troop G after receiving verbal command to fire, simultaneously aimed and fired their weapons toward Prentice Hall parking lot where the most militant students were located. A total of sixty-seven shots were fired in thirteen seconds killing four students: Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer  and William Schroeder, and wounding nine others. Reaction to the shootings varied and while those nationwide were shocked at the events, many Americans believed that the students "got what they deserved" and some believe that all of the protestors should have been shot. Former Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren said the State incident Kent sparked the worst American crisis since the civil war. Ten days after the Kent State shootings at Jackson State University, which was a historically black university, held an event similar to the rally at Kent State, two Jackson State students were killed and twelve other wounded by the police in an effort to protest the war and Kent state incident but did not receive as much media attention. Over the next few months following the State tragedy Kent national strikes would be held that would attract over four million students from over 850 colleges and universities which were shut down during the strikes. In solidarity with the strikes hundreds of art museums and galleries closed. Each week in May 1970 over 60 troops in Vietnam crossed over to join enemy forces, refused orders to invade Cambodia, and wore black armbands and refused to fight any longer in Vietnam. More than thirty ROTC buildings were burned or bombed by students prior to May 16, 1970 and more firebombing and arson occurred in this month alone than any other month since the static’s have existed. Membership for Vietnam Veterans against the War increased by 50% and members led many campus protests and strikes. Different reports on the incident by the Presidents Committee on Campus Unrest called the shootings "unnecessary, unwarranted and inexcusable.” Ohio officials however placed the blame of the shootings on the students and faculty at Kent State and on police Kent officers and twenty-four students and one professor were charged in regards to the incident. No National Guard members had been charged because the jury had gone out of its way to protect the guard and the case was sent to Justice Department  U.S. but was not acted on because of pressure from Nixon administration and others. Public opinion however began to shift and many more people began to believe that United States troops should withdrawal and end the war. Only a few days after Kent State, President Nixon limited the US invasion of Cambodia to thirty-five kilometers inside Cambodia and within two months US troops withdrew from Cambodia. Congress passed the War Powers Act which prevented the President from invading a country without approval of congress. Nixon and the pentagon were forced to seriously de-escalate the war, remove US troops and negotiate a peace in Southeast Asia. Also in May 1970 Nixon began his "enemies list" and launched paranoid campaigns and in June 1970, assembled his intelligence, military and law enforcement teams to address his perceived threats form the anti-war and student activist, members if Congress, media personalities authors and Hollywood celebrities. The abuses of his repressive teams of agents lead to his misuse of power in office and eventually led to the Watergate scandal. For President Nixon he claimed these to be "amongst the darkest days of his presidency" and the pressure would eventually push him to the point of physical and emotional collapse and resignation of presidency.

On May 4, 1970 in Kent Ohio at State University shooting Kent occurred for thirteen seconds but ultimately led to the death of four students, the closing of hundreds of colleges and universities and as some would argue the collapse of the Nixon administration and historical significance for a lifetime.

I. Introduction A. Thesis Statement II. Background Information A. The Vietnam War B. U.S. Involvement C. President Nixon's Position IV. Social Impact A. Mixed Reactions B. Public Opinion Shifts V. Political Impact III. May Rallies A. May 1 Protest B. May 2 Protest/ Burning of ROTC C. May 3 Protest/ Call of National Guard IV. May 4/ 13 Seconds of horror V. Social Impact A. Mixed Reactions B. War Postion Shifts VI. Political Impact A. Kent State Case B. Nixon’s Involvement C. Nixon’s Downfall VII. Conculsion
 * Outline:**


 * Revised Thesis Statement:**

On May 4, 1970 in Kent Ohio hundreds of students who attended Kent State University planned a rally to protest President Nixon's ideas regarding the Vietnam War; however the day went far from what the anti-war involvement students had planned and ultimately led to the death of four students, the closing of hundreds of colleges and universities and as some would argue the collapse of the Nixon administration.


 * Working Thesis Statement:**

On May 4,1970 in Kent, Ohio, students who attended Kent State University planned a rally to protest President Nixon's ideas about the Vietnam War. The day however went from from planned and ultimately led to the death of four students, the closing of hundreds of colleges and universities, and as some would agrue the collapse on the Nixon adminstration.

Bills, Scott L. //Kent State/May 4: Echoes through a Decade//. Kent, Ohio: Kent State UP, 1982. //Google Books//. Web. 09 May 2010. []. Hampson, Rick. "1970 Kent State Shootings Are an Enduring History Lesson - USATODAY.com." //News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World - USATODAY.com//. 04 May 2010. Web. 09 May 2010. . Koestler-Grack, Rachel A. //The Kent State Tragedy//. Edina, Minn.: Abdo Pub., 2005. Print. Urycki, Mark. "Kent State Shooting A Wound Not Quite Healed : NPR." //NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR//. Web. 09 May 2010. .
 * Working bibliography:**