Kent State: Exploring Accounts of a Tragic Event Through Primary Sources
May 1, 2025. Posted by: Cheryl Lederle
On May 4, 1970, after 13 seconds of gunfire by National Guardsmen, four students were dead and nine more lay wounded on the campus of Kent State University (KSU) in Kent, Ohio. Some of the students had been moving between classes, while others had gathered to protest the Vietnam War. The days and years that followed saw debate and disagreement about what happened and who was responsible. Students across the nation protested and many universities shut down. Learning about the event, and then analyzing and comparing responses in the aftermath of the event, can offer insights into the polarized era of the Vietnam War.
The Historic American Buildings Survey collection at the Library of Congress offers detailed drawings of the site and a summary description of the events of May 4, 1970. Students might first study the title sheet, which includes a narrative description and maps of the site and the state of Ohio, to develop an understanding of what happened and to place it geographically.
First, present students with the “Detail from Survey Drawings of Taylor Hall, Kent State,” above, allow time for them to observe it, and then ask what questions it prompts. Next, introduce the narrative and ask what questions it answers:
On May 4, 1970, the National Guard assembled in the University Commons behind Taylor Hall in response to student protest against the Vietnam War, and Governor Rhodes’ decision to bring the National Guard onto campus…After using tear gas in an attempt to disperse crowds of students, the National Guard traveled up Blanket Hill, and circled around the left corner of Taylor Hall’s front façade. Raising their weapons, the guards fired northeast towards Prentice Hall.
What new questions does this narrative prompt? If necessary, direct students to learn more about the Vietnam War, and various reactions to it, in a textbook or other secondary source.
Students who are curious about the geography of the shootings might match the narrative description to the detailed site plan. What new questions does it raise? Ask students to list possible responses to the shootings.
Site plan – Kent State University, Taylor Hall
The Bound Congressional Record (Bound CR) “is a record of the debate and proceedings that occur on the floor of Congress.” They may browse the Bound CR to contextualize events. For example, the May 4, 1970, Bound CR makes many references to Students for a Democratic Society – SDS – including discourse on SDS activities at KSU (page 53) immediately after acknowledging an “an outbreak of violence which has taken place at Kent State University at Kent, Ohio, in which several students have reportedly been killed.” Students may explore May 5, 1970 for comments from various perspectives. For example, they might read the statement by John William Stanton, who represented Kent in Congress (page 6). A page search for “Kent” will yield many more examples of statements. After students have explored the Bound CR for reactions to the shootings, allow time for them to compare their lists of possible responses to what they discovered from reading statements on the floor of the House of Representatives.
