National Guardsmen Mass at Kent State University (Photo courtesy of Politico)
Numerous protests against the War in Vietnam took place across the nation, but few are more notorious than the protests that took place at Kent State that led to the Kent State Massacre. On May 4, 1970, 28 Ohio National Guardsmen fired 61 shots at unarmed students of Kent State University killing 4 and injuring 9 more. The details of the incident aren’t particularly clear, but the violent response of the federal government is apparent. This incident struck a nerve across the nation. No longer was the federal government just ordering actions that would lead to the death of young men abroad, but was willing to kill young people opposed to the war on US soil as well. (President’s Comission on Campus Unrest, 1970)