Four anti-war protestors killed by National Guard at Kent State

Historical Context Note

Lucas Paul Richert (University of Saskatchewan)
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On 4 May 1970, a 2000-person student demonstration at Kent State University ended in tragedy when soldiers in the Ohio National Guard fired on the crowd, killing four and wounding nine. The incident was precipitated in large part by U.S. involvement in Cambodia. President Nixon had authorized an incursion onto the Cambodian side of the Cambodian/Vietnamese border to seize Viet Cong supplies and equipment. The U.S. move into Cambodia sparked a number of protests on university campuses, including Kent State.

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Citation: Richert, Lucas Paul. "Four anti-war protestors killed by National Guard at Kent State". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 October 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=3512, accessed 26 November 2024.]

3512 Four anti-war protestors killed by National Guard at Kent State 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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