{"id":1011,"date":"2015-05-21T21:50:48","date_gmt":"2015-05-21T21:50:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/?p=1011"},"modified":"2015-05-22T12:01:10","modified_gmt":"2015-05-22T12:01:10","slug":"the-day-all-hell-broke-loose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/2015\/05\/21\/the-day-all-hell-broke-loose\/","title":{"rendered":"The Day All Hell Broke Loose:  May 4, 1970"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>By Matt Pasquali<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mYNAMasR7KU\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1099\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/files\/2015\/04\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-28-at-11.10.31-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1099\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1099\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/files\/2015\/04\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-28-at-11.10.31-PM-300x225.png\" alt=\"Patricia Mackey\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/files\/2015\/04\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-28-at-11.10.31-PM-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/files\/2015\/04\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-28-at-11.10.31-PM.png 868w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1099\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Patricia Mackey<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Patricia Mackey was a college student at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh during the Kent State shootings, occurring on May 4, 1970. According to H.W. Brands book, <em>American Dreams<\/em>, on &#8220;hundreds of campuses across the country students boycotted classes and faculty suspended teaching in favor of discussions\u2014which was to say, condemnation\u2014of the war.\u201d [1] Mackey\u00a0remembers the immense cultural changes that took place on her campus after the shootings. \u201cIt was as though all hell had broken loose,\u201d Mackey recalled about the day of the tragedy, \u201csuddenly sleepy Plattsburgh campus became a hotbed of student unrest.\u201d [2] Although Mackey\u2019s experiences were common throughout American colleges and universities, her recollections during this time of turmoil are important because such memories can help show the drastic changes seen throughout American culture. However, memories from 40 years ago can become twisted over time. Ultimately, there were significant cultural changes seen post Kent State that Mackey \u00a0lived through, keeping in mind that not everything was changed because of this event.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1012\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/files\/2015\/04\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-23-at-10.32.28-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1012\" class=\"wp-image-1012 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/files\/2015\/04\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-23-at-10.32.28-PM-300x229.png\" alt=\"1970 era hippies \" width=\"300\" height=\"229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/files\/2015\/04\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-23-at-10.32.28-PM-300x229.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/files\/2015\/04\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-23-at-10.32.28-PM.png 778w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1012\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">1970&#8217;s era hippies<\/p><\/div>\n<p>One of the most immediate changes seen during this era was among the nation\u2019s youth. \u201cPeople learned to question everything\u201d after the shootings at Kent State. [3] \u201cStudents who had been quiet, reserved in their actions\u2026lost the majority of their social inhibitions,\u201d Mackey remembers. Changes in music, TV and the newly acquired drug culture became a \u201cstronger force for expressing the public\u2019s dissatisfaction with the status quo.\u201d [4] The newly acquired drug culture affected everyone even if they didn\u2019t partake in such activities. \u201cYou might not actually use marijuana or PCP\u2026but they affected you,\u201d recalled Mackey. Mackey noted how the drug culture caused people to \u201cdiscard the traditional suit or dress of the past\u201d and trade it in for a \u201cpsychedelic tie-dye T-shirt, bell bottom pants and sandals of the era.\u201d She also claimed to witness her roommate \u201cpassed out in the dorm\u2019s elevator,\u201d an \u201cover-drugged\u201d student leap out of his dorm room on the sixth floor, and she claimed that the new trend of smoking marijuana caused her clothes to \u201csmell of marijuana\u201d regardless of if she participated in the usage or not. [5] Drug culture was everywhere and it started having effects on the entertainment business. \u201cBy way of TV at Woodstock\u201d and \u201cthrough the anti-war songs,\u201d civilians started turning into hippies, who demonstrated their disapproval of the current wartime and aftermath of the Kent State shootings through this new type of music [6] Such rapid changes even affected athletics, where the largest impact was seen through \u201cpostponement of practices and contests.\u201d [7]<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1098\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/files\/2015\/04\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-23-at-10.22.45-PM2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1098\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1098\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/files\/2015\/04\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-23-at-10.22.45-PM2-300x200.png\" alt=\"May 24th, 1970 antiwar movement \" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/files\/2015\/04\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-23-at-10.22.45-PM2-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/files\/2015\/04\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-23-at-10.22.45-PM2.png 641w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1098\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">May 24th, 1970 antiwar movement<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The ongoing effects of the Kent State shootings and the Vietnam War left an impact on civil rights issues pertaining to women and blacks. \u201cWidespread protests and the televising of the process became the norm,\u201d Mackey noted. \u201cThose who protested the war combined their efforts with those who protested in favor of increased rights for Blacks and women,\u201d Mackey added. Campuses, such as Mackey\u2019s, turned into \u201cchaos\u201d while students became \u201ccrazily radicalized over night.\u201d [8] However, such chaos helped campuses across the United States become less strict about the rules regarding female students. \u201cYoung women no longer had to stay in separate dorms; they could live in co-ed dorms and use co-ed bathrooms.\u201d [9] Mackey also notes how \u201cno one kept track of their schedules or their whereabouts any longer\u201d and \u201cthere was no longer a curfew for girls.\u201d With fewer restrictions on females, there was an increased opportunity created for women after more and more people began protesting for what they believed in. As for blacks, changes were seen during the Vietnam War era, but were not as substantial as the progression seen in the movement for women\u2019s rights. The first war blacks were allowed to enter the army was World War II, and by Vietnam times, \u201cBlacks were drafted in higher proportional numbers than whites\u201d but \u201cwere often required to do the most dangerous work.\u201d [10] Blacks got what they wanted but were treated poorly. \u201cBlacks also could not serve as officers,\u201d Mackey adds. Even though \u201cBlacks gained rights, at least in terms of the law\u201d they were still treated with unequal and unfair opportunities in American society. [11]<\/p>\n<p>Education was another visible cultural change seen throughout this era. One of the most immediate changes seen on Mackey\u2019s campus after the shootings was that \u201cno one went to class\u201d and students attended \u201cteach-ins\u201d to learn about the United States\u2019 involvement in the Vietnam War. SUNY Plattsburgh President George Angeil even allowed students to use \u201chis office for strike-coordinating activities.\u201d [12] Nationwide, \u201cdetrimental\u201d effects were seen on 18% of college campuses, according to historians Richard Peterson and John Bilorusky, and \u201cacademic standards could be said to have declined or academic integrity to have been comprised\u201d after the Kent State debacle. [13] Classes at SUNY Plattsburgh\u00a0&#8220;were officially cancelled&#8221; and students\u00a0were given the option to &#8220;take the grade [they] had when everything had fallen apart&#8221; or contact their professors to discuss their grades. [14] This was a nationwide effect and Peterson and Bilorusky note that in as many as one in four colleges, classes were brought to an abrupt end. [15] In the following semester, drastic changes in course content changed, as well as policies regarding dropping courses. Mackey explained how you could now \u201cdrop\/change courses without a penalty\u201d and questioning the professor \u201cabout the grade you received\u201d was now common. [16] She also explained how by her recollection, courses \u201csuddenly changed.\u201d Courses started incorporating content regarding \u201cAfrica and Asia, current events, civil rights\u201d and the \u201cwomen\u2019s liberation movement.\u201d Courses also started incorporating \u201cChinese and Indian classics, world religions\u2026and courses on what other cultures are like and\u2026what they thought of America.\u201d [17] Schools, such as Mackey\u2019s, \u201cbegan to study and analyze the cultures of Africa and Asia because our ignorance of such things in Vietnam.\u201d [18]<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1013\" style=\"width: 381px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/files\/2015\/04\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-23-at-10.42.11-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1013\" class=\" wp-image-1013\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/files\/2015\/04\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-23-at-10.42.11-PM-300x102.png\" alt=\"Example of antiwar movements across the nation's universities\" width=\"371\" height=\"126\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/files\/2015\/04\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-23-at-10.42.11-PM-300x102.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/files\/2015\/04\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-23-at-10.42.11-PM.png 747w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 371px) 100vw, 371px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1013\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Example of antiwar movements across the nation&#8217;s universities<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Antiwar movements and strikes swept the nation after the Kent State shootings and the ongoing war in Vietnam. \u00a0Peterson and Bilorusky state that \u201csignificant impact\u201d was portrayed at 57 percent of American colleges after the Kent State shootings. [19] Peterson and Bilorusky also report \u201cessentially peaceful demonstrations\u201d on 44 percent of the American colleges. [20] Such demonstrations included \u201csit-ins, parades, picketing, mass meetings, rallies\u2026and so forth.\u201d [21] However, these peaceful protests led to threats of violence at schools such as Mackey\u2019s. \u201cThere was a sense of urgency\u2014a feeling that we had to get involved,\u201d explained Mackey. \u201cSomeone came up with the idea of a march on the Air Fore Base\u2026they were met at the gate of the base by servicemen with loaded guns who told them in no uncertain terms that if they came closer, they would be shot.\u201d [22] The amount of student participation in antiwar movements \u201chad exactly doubled\u201d from January 1970 to June 1970. [23] There was such a high demand for locations to hold protest meetings that \u201cuniversities bent over backwards to provide students with office space.\u201d [24] Antiwar movements and strikes became more and more common.<\/p>\n<p>During times as vulnerable as they were in the late 1960s and early 1970s, it only takes one dramatic event to spark change. The Kent State shootings created \u201ca new wave of arson\u201d and can be looked upon\u00a0as a pivotal turning point in American culture. [25] Changes in all aspects of culture were seen: education, women\u2019s rights, black rights, and the increased participation in antiwar movements and protests. Without the unfortunate event at Kent State University on May 4, 1970, we may not have seen such important changes in American culture.<\/p>\n<p>[1] H.W. Brands,\u00a0<em>American Dreams: The United States Since 1945<\/em>\u00a0(New York: Penguin Books, 2010), 170.<\/p>\n<p>[2] Email interview with Patricia Mackey, March 20, 2015.<\/p>\n<p>[3] [Mackey]\u00a0interview.<\/p>\n<p>[4] [Mackey] interview.<\/p>\n<p>[5] [Mackey] interview.<\/p>\n<p>[6]\u00a0[Mackey]\u00a0interview.<\/p>\n<p>[7] Husar, John. \u201cBig 10 Coaches Feel Effect of Campus Riots.\u201d <em>Chicago Tribune. <\/em>18 May 1970: c2. [Historical Newspapers].<\/p>\n<p>[8] [Mackey] interview.<\/p>\n<p>[9] [Mackey] interview.<\/p>\n<p>[10] [Mackey] interview.<\/p>\n<p>[11] [Mackey] interview.<\/p>\n<p>[12] Linda Charlton, \u201cActivity Stepped Up Here: Students Move Off Campus to Widen Protest Here,\u201d <em>New York Times<\/em>, May 7, 1970 [ProQuest].<\/p>\n<p>[13] Peterson, Richard E., and John A. Bilorusky. <em>May 1970: The Campus Aftermath of Cambodia and Kent State<\/em>. (Berkeley: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1971), 25.<\/p>\n<p>[14] [Mackey] interview.<\/p>\n<p>[15] Peterson and Bilorusky. 16.<\/p>\n<p>[16] [Mackey] interview.<\/p>\n<p>[17] [Mackey] interview.<\/p>\n<p>[18] [Mackey] interview.<\/p>\n<p>[19] Peterson and Bilorusky. 15.<\/p>\n<p>[20] Peterson and Bilorusky. 15.<\/p>\n<p>[21] Peterson and Bilorusky. 15.<\/p>\n<p>[22] [Mackey] interview.<\/p>\n<p>[23] Beggs, Daniel C., and Henry A. Copeland. \u201cOpinion on the Campus: Students Become More Willing to Support Beliefs with Action.\u201d <em>Chicago Tribune. <\/em>01 August 1970: w2. [Historical Newspaper].<\/p>\n<p>[24] Oliphant, Thomas. \u201cUniversities Feel Compelled to Restrict Anti-War Activities on Campus.\u201d <em>Boston Globe. <\/em>19 July 1970: 1. [Historical Newspapers].<\/p>\n<p>[25] Brands. 170.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; By Matt Pasquali Patricia Mackey was a college student at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh during the Kent State shootings, occurring on May 4, 1970. According to H.W. Brands book, American Dreams, on &#8220;hundreds of campuses across the country students boycotted classes and faculty suspended teaching in favor of discussions\u2014which was [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2639,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[20073],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-1970s"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2639"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1011"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1011\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/hist-118pinsker\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}