The tragic shooting that took place on May 4, 1970, on the campus of Kent State University is well known here in Northeast Ohio.
But the rising tensions between National Guardsmen and student protesters along with the actual unfolding of the shooting that afternoon has been subject to a lot of speculation and conjecture over the decades.
Author Brian VanDeMark has penned a new book, chronicling the shooting, the days of protests leading up to May 4, and the years of trials that took place after the incident.
Crucial to VanDeMark’s book is his interview with National Guardsman Matthew McManus, who has remained quiet until now. He admits to giving an order to “fire into the air,” and that order may have contributed to the troops firing upon students.
In addition to the new information from McManus, VanDeMark digs deep into the temperature of the late 1960s, and how concern over groups like The Weather Underground and Students for a Democratic Society led to a feeling of unease in and around the Kent State campus in the spring of 1970.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the book closely tracks the numerous trials that consumed the lives of the guardsmen, as well as the families of the slain victims.
The divisive climate of the 1970s often led to death threats being lobbed against both parties, and the parents of the slain having to deal with hateful rhetoric focused on their children.
It’s a book that’s paints the events of May 4 in a painful and tragic light, and warns that without heeding the lessons of the past, protests in the 21st century are in danger of ending in violence.
GUESTS:
- Brian VanDeMark, Author, "Kent State: An American Tragedy"
- Drew Maziasz, Coordinating Producer, Ideastream Public Media
