Darkest Hours: The Kent State Shootings
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
It all began with such promise. In 1422, medieval England finds itself at its apex. It's richer, it's bigger, and now it rules over France too. But in a blink, this will all unravel spectacularly. because England is moments away from tearing itself apart in a civil war called the Wars of the Roses. That's all for you to discover with me, Dan Jones, on Season 9 of This Is History, A Dynasty to Die For, wherever you get your podcasts.
It is noon, Monday, May 4th, 1970. Around 3,000 people are loosely assembled today here on the campus of Kent State University in Ohio. A few hundred are actively protesting the U.S. military's involvement in Vietnam and President Nixon's recent expansion of that war to neighboring Cambodia. Many more have just stopped by to demonstrate their support or because they're curious. Some are simply moving between classes. It is a typical scene repeated on campuses across the country for years now. Students chanting, shouting, waving hand-scrawled placards. Many more merely standing around. But something feels different today. Across the commons, a group of soldiers, members of the Ohio National Guard, have formed a skirmish line.
Bayonets fixed onto the barrels of their M1 rifles. Some are wearing masks to protect against the tear gas now deployed. The acrid, stinging smoke spreads low and fast across the ground. Some of the students scatter in fear. A few others pick up the gas canisters and toss them back towards the troops. Rocks are hurled. A noisy tension builds. But for the moment, matters seem contained. That is, until the line of guardsmen halt, level their rifles at the students, and fire. It is American History Hit, and I'm your host, Don Wildman. Nice to be with you. What defines a darkest hour? Well, it's when a crisis has reached its nadir, when all hope seems lost. In that moment of trepidation, we face disaster, destruction, and the real possibility that what we value most in life may disappear.
Paradoxically, though, with life so much in the balance, it is a prime opportunity for profound and lasting change, though it's hard to see it at the time, it being the darkest before the dawn. But some of our most distressing moments have led to the most redemptive transformations, one of the enduring hallmarks of American history. In May of 1970, four undergrads were shot dead with nine others injured on the campus of Kent State University in Ohio, a nation already at a contentious low fell further. What caused this tragedy, how it played out,
What events led to the Kent State shootings on May 4, 1970?
And what changes came to pass as a result is what we'll discuss today with historian Brian Vandemark. Recently retired from teaching history at the United States Naval Academy, he is the author of a number of books on U.S. history. He co-authored, in retrospect, Robert McNair's number one best-selling Vietnam memoir. His latest book is Kent State, An American Tragedy, long listed for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Hello, Professor. Nice to meet you. Greetings.
Thank you, Don. I enjoyed being on your program.
Now, while we are most certainly not a current events series recording here in late January 26 on Kent State, it's impossible not to ignore the echoes of history. Big differences, of course, from then to now. But shootings of American citizens in the act of protest by government forces is such a rarity, you can't help it. But for this conversation, we are steeped in 1970 in a brand new decade at the time. Take us to that time. What is going on in U.S. and in the world?
This is a period when American involvement in the Vietnam War has been going on for several years. American casualties as well as far larger Chinese casualties have skyrocketed. And the American military effort in Vietnam is clearly bogged down. Progress is not being made. The American people's frustration with the effort and the cost both in blood and treasure that result from that is intensifying dramatically. It has a deeply polarizing effect on the American public and public opinion toward the war. Mm hmm.
Roughly. It's interesting.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–3:10
2
What events led to the Kent State shootings on May 4, 1970?
3:10–5:12
3
What was the atmosphere like on the Kent State campus before the shootings?
5:12–12:57
4
How did the National Guard's involvement escalate the situation?
12:57–19:29
5
What were the immediate consequences of the shootings at Kent State?
19:29–21:02
6
How did public opinion shift in response to the Kent State tragedy?
21:02–25:01
7
What was the outcome of the investigations following the Kent State shootings?
25:01–28:45
8
How did the Kent State incident impact future protests and political discourse?
28:45–46:36