Kent State Shooting Research Paper
CINCINNATI, Ohio (Achieve3000, January 31, 2011). More than 40 years ago, four students were killed by the Ohio National Guard on the campus of Kent State University during a protest against the Vietnam War. The shootings sent shockwaves across the U.S., further polarizing a nation already divided over the conflict.
The U.S. in Vietnam
By the time of the Kent State shootings, the U.S. was deeply involved in the war in Vietnam. In 1954, Vietnam had split into two countries: North Vietnam and South Vietnam. North Vietnamese leaders wanted to unite North and South Vietnam under a Communist government. South Vietnamese leaders refused, citing an opposition to Communism. In 1958, North Vietnam attacked South Vietnam, intent on uniting under Communist …show more content…
Many Americans believed it was important to prevent South Vietnam from falling to Communism. Others believed the country should not get involved in the region's affairs. In addition, many Americans were opposed to the government's authorization of required enlistment as a way to mobilize troops for the war. By the mid 1960s, public protests against American involvement in Vietnam were becoming more common. Perhaps nowhere was this objection more evident than on U.S. college campuses. Students staged rallies and marches. They penned essays and songs to express their opinions. Many of these protestors expressed their opposition to the war by practicing a strategy of passive …show more content…
Some Americans blamed the students for provoking the conflict, claiming that the protestors were wrong to have confronted the National Guard. Others were outraged by what had happened. In the days that followed the shootings, college campuses across the country erupted with more rallies, protests, and student strikes. In an effort to ease tensions, some colleges closed, and students were ordered to leave. Many universities were forced to cancel graduation ceremonies in 1970. Later, a presidential commission on campus unrest would describe the period as a time of the deepest U.S. social divisions since the Civil War.
Five years after the Kent State shootings, North Vietnamese forces took control of South Vietnam, effectively ending the Vietnam War. Although the longest war in U.S. history was finally over, the outcome was bittersweet for many Americans. An estimated 58,000 U.S. soldiers had lost their lives in the conflict. Another 300,000 had been wounded. In the decades that followed, many soldiers and civilians would work to overcome painful memories and bridge the deep national divide caused by the Vietnam War.
Today, the tragedy at Kent State serves as a reminder of the political and social unrest during a difficult period in U.S.
The U.S. in Vietnam
By the time of the Kent State shootings, the U.S. was deeply involved in the war in Vietnam. In 1954, Vietnam had split into two countries: North Vietnam and South Vietnam. North Vietnamese leaders wanted to unite North and South Vietnam under a Communist government. South Vietnamese leaders refused, citing an opposition to Communism. In 1958, North Vietnam attacked South Vietnam, intent on uniting under Communist …show more content…
Many Americans believed it was important to prevent South Vietnam from falling to Communism. Others believed the country should not get involved in the region's affairs. In addition, many Americans were opposed to the government's authorization of required enlistment as a way to mobilize troops for the war. By the mid 1960s, public protests against American involvement in Vietnam were becoming more common. Perhaps nowhere was this objection more evident than on U.S. college campuses. Students staged rallies and marches. They penned essays and songs to express their opinions. Many of these protestors expressed their opposition to the war by practicing a strategy of passive …show more content…
Some Americans blamed the students for provoking the conflict, claiming that the protestors were wrong to have confronted the National Guard. Others were outraged by what had happened. In the days that followed the shootings, college campuses across the country erupted with more rallies, protests, and student strikes. In an effort to ease tensions, some colleges closed, and students were ordered to leave. Many universities were forced to cancel graduation ceremonies in 1970. Later, a presidential commission on campus unrest would describe the period as a time of the deepest U.S. social divisions since the Civil War.
Five years after the Kent State shootings, North Vietnamese forces took control of South Vietnam, effectively ending the Vietnam War. Although the longest war in U.S. history was finally over, the outcome was bittersweet for many Americans. An estimated 58,000 U.S. soldiers had lost their lives in the conflict. Another 300,000 had been wounded. In the decades that followed, many soldiers and civilians would work to overcome painful memories and bridge the deep national divide caused by the Vietnam War.
Today, the tragedy at Kent State serves as a reminder of the political and social unrest during a difficult period in U.S.