The Kent State massacre of 1970 is a dark chapter in American history that is often overlooked and forgotten. On May 4th of that year, four unarmed students were killed and nine others were wounded by the Ohio National Guard during a peaceful protest against the Vietnam War. The tragedy shocked the nation and sparked a wave of anti-war demonstrations across the country. However, what many people don’t know is that the true history of this event, and the subsequent suppression of the anti-war movement at Kent State, has been deliberately erased from our collective memory.
The quote above, spoken by journalist and author Howard Zinn, sums up the reality of what happened at Kent State and the aftermath that followed. The whole history of the massacre was indeed suppressed, with the government and media painting a distorted picture of the events that took place that day. The students, who were exercising their right to peaceful protest, were portrayed as violent and unruly, while the National Guard’s actions were justified as necessary to maintain law and order. This narrative was carefully crafted to protect those in power and discredit the anti-war movement.
But it wasn’t just the events of May 4th that were suppressed, it was the entire history of the anti-war movement at Kent State. The students who were killed and injured were not just random victims, they were part of a larger movement that had been growing on campus for years. Kent State had become a hotbed of activism and resistance against the Vietnam War, with students organizing protests, sit-ins, and teach-ins to voice their opposition to the war. The university administration and local authorities saw this as a threat and did everything in their power to suppress it.
The suppression of the anti-war movement at Kent State began long before the tragic events of May 4th. The university administration, under the direction of Ohio Governor James Rhodes, had implemented strict rules and regulations to limit students’ freedom of speech and assembly. They also brought in the National Guard to patrol the campus, creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation. This was a deliberate attempt to silence the voices of dissent and maintain control over the student body.
The events of May 4th were the culmination of this suppression. The students were peacefully protesting the expansion of the Vietnam War into Cambodia when the National Guard opened fire without warning. The bullets that killed Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer, and William Schroeder were not just a result of a panicked response, they were a direct result of the suppression of the anti-war movement at Kent State. The government and media’s portrayal of the students as violent agitators only served to justify the actions of the National Guard and further suppress the truth.
In the aftermath of the massacre, there was a concerted effort to erase the history of what happened at Kent State. The government and media downplayed the severity of the event and dismissed it as an isolated incident. The university administration refused to take responsibility for their role in the suppression of the anti-war movement. And most disturbingly, the FBI launched an investigation into the students and their alleged ties to communist organizations, further tarnishing their image and discrediting their cause.
But despite these efforts, the truth of what happened at Kent State could not be completely erased. The families of the victims and survivors continued to speak out and demand accountability. In 1979, after years of legal battles, the victims and their families received a settlement from the state of Ohio and an official apology from the university. However, the full truth of what happened that day and the larger context of the suppression of the anti-war movement at Kent State is still not widely known or acknowledged.
It is important that we remember and honor the victims of the Kent State massacre, and the countless others who were silenced and oppressed by the government and media during the Vietnam War era. We must also recognize the ongoing efforts to suppress and erase the history of important events and movements that challenge the status quo and demand change. As Howard Zinn said, “You can’t be neutral on a moving train.” It is our responsibility to seek out and preserve the truth, to ensure that history is not distorted or erased for political gain.
In the 50 years since the Kent State massacre, there have been numerous attempts to suppress and rewrite the history of this tragic event. But as long as there are those who are willing to speak out and demand the truth, the memory of those who were silenced will live on. We must continue to remember and learn
