Kent State and Jackson State: Looking Back/Leaning Forward
Bernardine Dohrn and Bill Ayers
May 4, 2012
Again and again we learn that war and empire abroad will find a way home.
On April 30, 1970, Richard Nixon announced the US invasion of Cambodia, a sovereign nation
the US had been secretly bombing for several months. It was a saturation campaign involving
120 strikes a day by B-52s carrying up to 60,000 pounds of bombs each. But in the common
doublespeak of war, the president claimed: “This is not an invasion of Cambodia… once enemy
forces are driven out of these sanctuaries and once their military supplies are destroyed, we will
withdraw…”
Nixon’s aggression against Cambodia was accompanied by a verbal assault on those inside the
US opposing the war: “we live in an age of anarchy, both abroad and at home,” he intoned. The
next day, Nixon went to the Pentagon to clarify the point: “you see these bums…blowing up the
campuses…burning up the books, I mean storming around about this issue…you name it, get rid
of the war, there’ll be another one.”
On the rolling spring lawns of Kent State in the American heartland, students continued to
press against an illegal, immoral war of occupation. The first entering classes of Black students
formed themselves into what was to become a growing wave of Black Student Unions, even
at Kent State. Returning veterans were throwing their medals back at the war-mongers, and
May 4, 2012
Again and again we learn that war and empire abroad will find a way home.
On April 30, 1970, Richard Nixon announced the US invasion of Cambodia, a sovereign nation
the US had been secretly bombing for several months. It was a saturation campaign involving
120 strikes a day by B-52s carrying up to 60,000 pounds of bombs each. But in the common
doublespeak of war, the president claimed: “This is not an invasion of Cambodia… once enemy
forces are driven out of these sanctuaries and once their military supplies are destroyed, we will
withdraw…”
Nixon’s aggression against Cambodia was accompanied by a verbal assault on those inside the
US opposing the war: “we live in an age of anarchy, both abroad and at home,” he intoned. The
next day, Nixon went to the Pentagon to clarify the point: “you see these bums…blowing up the
campuses…burning up the books, I mean storming around about this issue…you name it, get rid
of the war, there’ll be another one.”
On the rolling spring lawns of Kent State in the American heartland, students continued to
press against an illegal, immoral war of occupation. The first entering classes of Black students
formed themselves into what was to become a growing wave of Black Student Unions, even
at Kent State. Returning veterans were throwing their medals back at the war-mongers, and
Kent State Shootings 40 years later and the hidden history of an iconic image
Kent State Shootings 40 years later and the hidden history of an iconic image
Kent State Shootings 40 years later and the hidden history of an iconic image
May 4, 5:15 AM
Cleveland Photography ExaminerDennis Bodzash
Cleveland Photography ExaminerDennis Bodzash
In an era characterized by social upheaval, a few events stand out. One of those tragic, landmark events that showcased the downward spiral of American society took place in our own backyard: the Kent State Shootings.
It was 40 years ago today on May 4, 1970 and the Kent State campus was a figurative powder keg just waiting to explode. Anger over the Vietnam War, recently expanded into Cambodia, was at an all time high, especially among the young, who often had to watch their friends be drafted into the military and then sent off to war. College campuses all across the country went into chaos as students voiced their displeasure with policy.
However, among all those protests, it was nearby Kent State that would become the focal point of the nation.
The Kent State shootings were the culmination of four days of trouble. The first sign of
It was 40 years ago today on May 4, 1970 and the Kent State campus was a figurative powder keg just waiting to explode. Anger over the Vietnam War, recently expanded into Cambodia, was at an all time high, especially among the young, who often had to watch their friends be drafted into the military and then sent off to war. College campuses all across the country went into chaos as students voiced their displeasure with policy.
However, among all those protests, it was nearby Kent State that would become the focal point of the nation.
The Kent State shootings were the culmination of four days of trouble. The first sign of
Kent State Massacre May 4, 1970
In 1970, in response to Nixon's widening of the Vietnam War into Cambodia, students throughout the US protested. Nixon sent the National Guard to restore order to the Kent State campus. The resulting consequences changed the course of the war.