Map of Kent State University Shootings
5/4/1970
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This map, prepared for the Commission on Campus Unrest, shows the “the Commons” area on the Kent State Campus, the movement of the National Guardsmen, and the locations where students were shot.
In the midst of Vietnam War, President Nixon had decided to initiate the Cambodian campaign. This apparent expansion of the Vietnam War detonated an explosion of antiwar activity that escalated to a national crisis when four students were shot at a protest at Kent State University in Ohio. The public was unaware that Nixon had been secretly bombing Cambodia since mid-March 1969—an escalation of a covert bombing campaign started by Johnson in 1965.
Students had been protesting for days when the town mayor declared a state of emergency and called in the National Guard to help reestablish order. Ohio National Guard troops opened fire on unarmed students. Nine were wounded—one paralyzed for life—and four were killed.
Nixon created the President’s Commission on Campus Unrest to investigate protests at schools across the country. It concluded that “the indiscriminate firing of rifles into a crowd of students and the deaths that followed were unnecessary, unwarranted and inexcusable.” A federal grand jury indicted eight guardsmen, but found they were not subject to criminal prosecution because they acted in self defense.
In the midst of Vietnam War, President Nixon had decided to initiate the Cambodian campaign. This apparent expansion of the Vietnam War detonated an explosion of antiwar activity that escalated to a national crisis when four students were shot at a protest at Kent State University in Ohio. The public was unaware that Nixon had been secretly bombing Cambodia since mid-March 1969—an escalation of a covert bombing campaign started by Johnson in 1965.
Students had been protesting for days when the town mayor declared a state of emergency and called in the National Guard to help reestablish order. Ohio National Guard troops opened fire on unarmed students. Nine were wounded—one paralyzed for life—and four were killed.
Nixon created the President’s Commission on Campus Unrest to investigate protests at schools across the country. It concluded that “the indiscriminate firing of rifles into a crowd of students and the deaths that followed were unnecessary, unwarranted and inexcusable.” A federal grand jury indicted eight guardsmen, but found they were not subject to criminal prosecution because they acted in self defense.
This primary source comes from the Records of Temporary Committees, Commissions, and Boards.
National Archives Identifier: 596837
Full Citation: Map of Site of Shootings at Kent State University; 5/4/1970; Records of the Kent State University Investigative Team, 1970 - 1970; Records of Temporary Committees, Commissions, and Boards, Record Group 220; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/map-kent-state, April 23, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.