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Assignment #2 - Blog Entry #1 - The Kent State Protest

 Protest Turned Tragedy 

The late 60s and early 70s was a time for a calling of peace. The younger generation were notably known for their loud voices, powerful marches, and contagious messages. During this period, there was a spark in the Anti-War Movement where younger individuals protested against the deployment of more American troops to avoid more casualties. On top of casualties, there was a universal theme of "peace" to help dissolve global conflict and end armed warfare. To narrow down on a crucial event that catalyzed the movement for anti-war, students from Kent State University held a protest with a mission to put a halt to President Nixon's operation to deploy more troops in Cambodia during the Vietnam War. 

Through loud marches, powerful signs and piercing voices, students were peacefully expressing their strong feelings against increased American involvement in the Vietnam War. They were emphasizing the need for peaceful negotiation and a decrease in war-technology development to ease international conflicts. These series of movements were particularly interesting because the students would soon go against their theme of "non-violence" as they demonstrated more radical approaches. Peaceful marches would then turn into riots and piercing voices would then become piercing public property. 

Although they are expressing a need for "non-violence" they are going against their own morals to get their message across. This side of students were expected as these young driven individuals were pushed into radicalism after the Ohio National Guard were ordered to open fire on peaceful protestors on May 4,1970, catching the crowd off guard and angered after this absurd order. The students would then have another reason to fight for non-violence as 4 students were killed and many were wounded and as a result, the students would then go into an outrage and carry out their themes of "peace" through radicalism. 


Comments

  1. RamiroOctober 4, 2021 at 11:26 AM

    Aye, very interesting. I am talking about the Chicano Blowouts which happened around the same time with similar situations. I think the determination that young people hold is so powerful and the presence of police force and military forces change the peaceful protests into "riots", but what's not changed, is the reason we protest.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownDecember 14, 2021 at 12:44 AM

    It is interesting to examine the hypocrisy that is evolved from so many noble causes. I think it is important to way the ends and the means

    ReplyDelete

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