Rationale/ Purpose (so what?)

Title

: If the National Guard showed up at your school what would you do?

Lesson Author

: Jennifer Mecca and Ashton Hoff

Key Words

: Kent State, Student protest, Counterculture, Vietnam War

Grade Level

: 11

_grade

Time Allotted

: 60 minutes

Rationale/ Purpose (so what?)

Students will understand that many people didn’t support United States

troops during the Vietnam War. They will understand that many students

(very much like themselves) believed in this cause and tried to make a

difference. This will broadly lead to an appreciation that all actions have

consequences and that ordinary people can make a difference. In addition

they will practice historiography (try to be a historian rather than simply

learning about it) and try to decipher what really happened at Kent State

by examining eyewitness accounts.

Key Concept(s) include definition

:

Counterculture

: during the Vietnam War many young adults at home

protested the war and participated in the Counterculture where they

rejected tradition and partook part in activities such as drugs

Kent State Massacre

: between late April and the early days of May,

there were a variety of incidents involving student protest and after several

days the National Guard fired into a crowd of students killing four and

NCSS Standard(s)

SOL Information

NCSS Theme (s) with indicators

:

Theme Four: Individual Development and Identity:

appreciation for

the influences of various historical (counterculture) cultures on an

individual’s daily life, examine the interactions of national influences in

specific situations and events, evaluate the impact of conformity and other

behaviors on individuals and groups (students, hippies, etc.)

SOL

:

Standard VUS. 13b

b) explaining the origins of the Cold War and describing the Truman

Doctrine and the policy of containment of communism, the American role

of wars in Korea and Vietnam and the role of the North Atlantic Treaty

Organization (NATO) in Europe

Essential Knowledge

(minimum for SOL Resource Guide)

•

The country became bitterly

divided. While there was

support for the American

military and conduct of the war

among many Americans,

others opposed the war and

active opposition to the war

mounted, especially on college

campuses

Essential Skills

(minimum for SOL Resource Guide)

•

None available for this

particular standard

Guiding Question(s)

: --These guiding questions will be written on the

board for the students to see

•

What is the Counterculture and is there anything that you feel as

passionate or strongly about as the hippies and students felt about

the Vietnam War?

•

How do you feel about the events that happened at Kent State? Is

it un-American to voice dissenting opinions to the war? If so how far

is too far?

•

Who is responsible for the Kent State Shootings? Where the

National Guard soldiers simply scared or ordered to fire upon the

students?

Assessment Tool(s)

:

•

Students in class work involving the different points of view of the

soldiers and the students, and an

Exit Slip

brief statement about

what they believed happened at Kent State—did the soldiers fire on

the students because of panic or because they were ordered to do so

Background:

Before this unit of study students would have spent time on the Korean War

and its impact. This would part of a larger unit on the events of the Cold War in

general. At some point during this unit they would also have touched on the

events of the Vietnam War. After students covered this lesson, they would

then be introduced to content concerning the end of the Cold War, including

the internal problems of the Soviet Union and the role of Ronald Reagan. This

will include Gorbachev’s policies and the military and economic pressure put on

the Soviet Union

Lesson Objective(s) (Please number):

1.

Students will be able to explain that many people in America

particularly students were unhappy with the Vietnam War using what

happened at Kent State late April-early May 1970 as a case example.

This will be demonstrated by students participation in the visual

discovery and their participation in lecture by filling in notes (see

Material F)

2.

Students will be able to see a situation from multiple points of view

(the soldiers and the students) and try the role of historians by

deciphering eyewitness accounts and completing a worksheet on

these accounts (see Material G)

Materials: Historical

Source(s):

Material C:

Eyewitness account

of one student—victim of the

shooting

Additional

Materials/Resources:

Material D:

Eyewitness account

of another student

Material E:

Eyewitness account

from one of the guardsman

Material A:

Visual Imagery

Script—acted out by students when

arriving at slide 16 on PowerPoint

Material B

: PowerPoint of Kent

State massacre

Material F

: Student notes—

thought bubbles for students and

soldiers.

Material G

: Student worksheet for

analyzing eyewitness accounts

Procedure/Process:

JUST DO IT! The “Hook”: (A high-interest activity that introduces new content with connections to students’ prior knowledge. Between 1-5 minutes (Could also introduce the days guiding question)

• Have students watch the video on Counterculture and write down their

reactions—5 minutes Make sure they write down similar movements that have taken place in the last few years that are similar to the CounterCulture.

Obj # See above.

Processing Activity and Procedure -include directions, question frames,

assignment detail to be given to students (these should all be made

into explicit materials (e.g. see material A), and time estimates

Check for Evidence of Understanding -Either Formal or Informal- (Checks Essential Knowledge

and Skills)

Just do it.

Show students the video and have them think about their reactions then put up the beginning question

During the 1960s, a counterculture emerged in the United States unlike any the country had seen before. Hippies and students across the country questioned authority, pushed social boundaries, and explored new religions and philosophies. These new attitudes were reflected in the music, art, and fashion of the era…. Have you observed any similar (if less powerful) counterculture groups or movements in your lifetime? If so, describe them.—5 minutes

Look around the room to ensure students are working on the activity and after several minutes ask for student volunteers to share their answers with the class…encourage students who had outstanding answers to share with the class to prompt others to share

Transition:

Explain to students that now we will focus on a specific college campus that was swept up in the Counterculture movement in 1970—Ask students if they have anything that they feel this passionate about? Remind

students that this could be the same age as some of them in less than 2 years!!

Objective # 1

Go through the PowerPoint (Material B) while students fill in notes using Material F—explain that they should write down events that happened underneath the students or guards based on who they believe it impacts most…some things will impact both groups and can be written in between the bubbles—20 minutes

At Slide 16 on the PowerPoint (Material B) have students complete the visual imagery by acting out the picture using the

guidelines on Material A—5 minutes

Informally walk around room making sure that students are filling in their notes

• At Slide 3: Ask them

why students would care about what was happening with the Vietnam War

• At Slide 4: What is

symbolic about the burying of the Constitution?

• At Slide 6: Do you

think the students actions are un-American? Why or Why Not?

• At Slide 7: Did the

governor overreact? Transition: Ask students what they think about the situation—who is responsible and why did it happen? Explain that they will read eyewitness accounts of the

incident

Objective # 2

Break students into groups

alphabetically…give each group a copy of Materials C, D, and E (the eyewitness accounts) and Material F their worksheet. Explain that students will be deciding for themselves what happened at Kent State. Tell them to read the Materials and fill in the chart—20 minutes

Informally walk around the room answering student questions and making sure they are understanding the documents providing any necessary scaffolding. In the last five minutes have them complete the Exit

Slip/Writing prompt—what happened? Where the

guards ordered to fire on the students or did they panic?

Modifications/Accommodations for Diverse Learners:

All learners will be given the proper accommodations and modifications

based on their unique situation in accordance will all IEPs, 504s, and any

other adaptations required for their specific learning.

Closure/Writing Prompt/Rubric:

•

After reviewing the eyewitness accounts students will determine what

they believe happened at Kent State—were the soldiers ordered to

fire on the students or did they react out of panic and fear??

Materials

Material A

Girl #1 (center of picture): you are a young sophomore at a protest of the Vietnam War, you have just seen your friend be gunned down by National Guard Troops: you are inconsolable and overwhelmed with grief

Guy with Headband: You are a young student at Kent State, your thoughts: “what just happened”

“Did they really just shoot someone?” “I thought this was America…..”

Girl with backpack: you are on your way to class…you have mostly stayed out of the events of the last few days. You have no idea what is going on and you are very confused

Material C

In my opinion, there was a US government conspiracy to commit a massacre at Kent State so American students would be terrorized into silence and stop the anti-war movement. The key link indicating the Kent State tragedy was a planned massacre can only be proven by undeniable evidence of a verbal command by Ohio National Guard officers to fire deadly M1 rifles into our crowd of unarmed student anti-war protesters…..

President Nixon had a longstanding grudge against Kent anti-war protesters who had interrupted his campaign speech at the University of Akron (Ohio) in October of 1968 and his inauguration parade on January 20, 1969, in Washington, DC. President Nixon spoke by telephone twice with Ohio Governor James Rhodes during the days just BEFORE the Kent State massacre.

Did Nixon give the OK for his pal Governor Rhodes in Ohio to plan the Kent State massacre? Why would Governor Rhodes encourage his Ohio National Guard to kill students?

Rhodes wanted to crack down on militant Kent students in order to win votes for his May 5, 1970, election which was one day AFTER the May 4 Kent massacre. Rhodes was behind in the polls by 8% only one week before the May 5 Ohio Republican Party primary election. After Rhodes' inflammatory speech in Kent on May 3 and the massacre May 4, Rhodes confused conservative voters but still lost his May 5 election but only by less than 1% of the votes in his US Senate primary election…..

However, it's clear that there was a verbal order to fire and a dozen TROOP G killers stopped, turned, began to shoot and continued to fire 67 times into our crowd of unarmed students. The well-coordinated actions of these triggermen seemed quite planned and executed like a firing squad upon orders to shoot.

Taken from: http://alancanfora.com/ one of the victims and eyewitnesses to the tragedy

Note: There is a tape of the incident that a student sent to the FBI…according to Canfora on the tape you can hear "Right here! Get Set! Point! Fire!" before the 13-second volley of gunfire

Material D

My name is Naomi Goelman Etzkin. I lived in Olson Hall, room 409, overlooking the football field. Got up on Monday, May 4th, to see additional troops camped on that football field. And watched that morning as different units of the National Guard were practicing running around our dorm and other buildings, in what appeared to be getting familiar with the setup on campus. That was midterm week and I had an exam scheduled -- an English exam -- for 1:10 p.m. We had received flyers -- there were student flyers -- there were also some flyers that had been sent around by the faculty senate, which had not been permitted to meet over the weekend. And we knew that there was to be a rally at noon on the Commons. And so we went to the rally. We were on the side of the hill that was between what was then the Student Union and the architecture building. And there were speakers at the bell, which was always the focal point of the rallies. And the National Guard was just hanging out at that time. There was a lot of chanting and speaking. And then the National Guard began to throw canisters of tear gas. Students really dispersed somewhat; but also some students picked up the canisters and threw them back at the Guard. And they were cheered on by everyone who was at the rally. There was kind of a

different sort of feeling than from the night before -- and Saturday night -- just not so much fear of the National Guard. And Sunday had been kind of a circus atmosphere where people were driving around our campus to come and see this spectacle. It was a gorgeous day and everyone was out.

The students then ... then the Guard began to march up the hill, and students dispersed. I went over the hill on the side of the pagoda. There was a practice football field on the other side of the driveway that led to the parking lot by the architecture building, and the Guardsmen marched over the hill and down to the practice football field. They were being given some orders; they knelt, they pointed guns, then they got up and they started to march back up the hill by this time. They were separated from the rest of the Guardsmen. This time they really had been surrounded by the students, because when they marched up the hill and the students went all around the hill, then they marched back up to the pagoda. There was taunting and jeering at the Guards, calling to them to get off the campus. And that moment -- without any warning -- because they already had been shouting some orders and going through little maneuvers and marching right and left and so on. Evidently the order came to shoot, and they pointed in the opposite direction where I was standing. When we heard the gunshots, we did not believe that they were real bullets. We thought they were shooting in the air, and we just didn't believe that bullets could be real. And we went running back to our dormitory, and we watched out the fourth floor window in Olson Hall as the ambulances came over the hill. People began coming back into the dorm, having walked over bleeding bodies. We then went to another window in the dorm, and we watched Dr. Frank address the students who were still on the hill. Everybody sat down in shock, and he said -- that to the best of my recollection ----that something like, "They had already committed murder and they can do it again. Now I want you to follow me off this hill." And miraculously everyone followed

Material E The Guardsmen

Larry Shafer

Mr. Shafer was a Guardsman at Kent State in May, 1970 and was one of the defendants in the trials that followed. Mr. Shafer is one of the few Guardsmen to speak openly in the incident. An interview with John Dunphy, of the Akron Beacon Journal on May 4, 1980, summed up Shafer's feeling about what happened at Kent State.

Guardsman Ends 10-Year Silence on KSU

A former Ohio National Guardsman who shot and wounded a Kent State University student 10 years ago today says the general in charge of the troops did not have control of the situation. "If that general had had his head out of his - - -, he never would have put us in that situation," Larry Shafer, the former Guardsman, said after a decade of silence.

"The Kent State shootings could have been prevented with proper leadership. There was never any real need for the National Guard to be in Kent in May 1970."

…..Shafer, 34, a Ravenna fireman, said those involved in the shooting have had to "keep their mouths shut" because of the legal proceedings stemming from the shootings. The end of those proceedings came in January 1979, when the guard and the plaintiffs in a $46 million civil damage suit agreed to a $675,000 out-of-court settlement.

….."The Mayor of Kent pushed the panic button," Shafer said. "His police couldn't handle the situation, so he called the National Guard."

….Shager also criticized Gov. James A. Rhodes and said Rhodes' decision to send troops to Kent was politically inspired to help his unsuccessful 1970 candidacy for the U.S. Senate.

Shafer said one of the lessons learned from Kent State was that "you don't send people into a situation like that with the heavy armament that we had."

"We were combat troops," Shafer said. "They were not sending us into a war zone."

….On the afternoon of May 4, the guard was ordered to break up a noon rally on the campus. After moving the demonstrators with tear gas from the university's Commons up a hill and onto a practice football field and a parking lot, the guardsmen were attempting to make a hasty retreat. Shafer said his superiors ignored the hours of riot training the troops had gone through before they were sent to Kent.

"The way the whole thing was handled, the riot training we had prior to that, they just threw it out the window. All those officers and not a one of them seemed to remember what we were trained," Shafer said. "The whole thing was a farce."

As the retreating guardsmen reached the crest of a hill, they turned and fired into the demonstrators.

Shafer said he recalls hearing a single shot, then turned around to face the students. He said the guardsman on his right fired once into the air, so he fired once into the air.

Shafer said his rifle jammed and he had to eject the casing manually. When he finished that, he said, he noticed a demonstrator coming at him with his hand raised in an obscene gesture and his other hand behind his back.

"I felt I was in immediate danger, not knowing whether he had a weapon or a rock," Shafer said. "I felt my life was in danger."

Shafer fired another shot that ripped through the abdomen of Joseph Lewis, then an 18-year-old student from Massillon. Lewis now lives in Oregon.

Shafer said there was a sudden surge of rock-throwing, screaming demonstrators just before the shooting.

An FBI investigation concluded that the guardsmen were not surrounded at the time of the shooting and that there was not sudden surge of students. The FBI's report also concluded that guardsmen concocted the story that their lives were in danger after the shooting.

When asked about the FBI's conclusions, Shafer said, "The investigators were not there. They didn't know the full scope of what it was to be there. I know what I saw."

Shafer said there was no conspiracy or prior agreement among the guardsmen to fire into the crowd of demonstrators.

The FBI's investigation eventually led to a federal grand jury that was convened in December 1973. After three months of testimony, eight guardsmen, including Shafer, were indicted on criminal charges of violating the civil rights of demonstrators. They were later acquitted. ….

Material C

Material D

Material E

Who is this person? In

other words a student,

guard, witness, etc.

What is their story?

Give a summary of

what they believe and

are saying..

What is their bias? In

other words why might

they be lying? Do you

believe them?