“4 Kent State Students Killed by Troops.” That was the headline on the front page of the New York Times on May 5, 1970. The shootings occurred on May 4—forty years ago today. Two of the students were women, two were men. Eight other students were wounded. All of the students were shot by National Guard soldiers during a campus protest at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.
According to the New York Times, “The burst of gunfire came about 20 minutes after the guardsmen broke up a noon rally on the Commons . . . by lobbing tear gas at a crowd of about 1,000 young people.” The students were protesting the expansion of the Vietnam War into Cambodia.
To view the full article, including the Pulitzer-prize winning photograph, search the ProQuest Historical Newspapers: New York Times (1851-2006) database for “kent state” and limit your search to the month of May, 1970. To read newspaper accounts a little closer to home, search the ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Chicago Tribune (1849-1986) database.
Books about the Kent State shootings, such as 13 Seconds: A Look Back at the Kent State Shootings, can be found in Andersen Library by searching the catalog. You’ll also find a link to files of the FBI’s investigation into Kent State.
For assistance in finding these and other resources, ask a reference librarian.