legacy
The legacy of the Kent State Shootings lives on in our nation still, surviving the victims. It brought forth how much power and force the government should have. The shootings showed how tragic the results of a corrupt government are. This event brought the war in Vietnam closer to home. The Vietnam War was the first war that people experienced in their own house, on TV with Walter Cronkite. However, this brought the war to a new level for Americans. It escaped the confines of the small country on the other side of Earth.
Dr. Thomas Hensley and Dr. Jerry M. Lewis wrote an informational piece about May 4. They explained the impact Kent State had on the military, saying that “‘[law enforcement officials] have issued a caution to their troops to be careful because “We don’t want another Kent State.... Insofar as this happened, lessons have been learned, and the deaths of the four young Kent State students have not been in vain,’” (Caputo 112). The shootings imprinted themselves on Americans like a scar. Hensley and Lewis believe that the Kent State incident ‘“[symbolizes] a great American tragedy which occurred at the height of the Vietnam era, a period in which the nation found itself deeply divided both politically and culturally. The poignant picture of Mary Vecchio kneeling in agony over Jeffery Miller’s body... will remain forever as a reminder of the day when the Vietnam War came home to America... Kent State and the Vietnam War era remain controversial even today, and the need for healing continues to exist,’” (114).
Reverand John Adams believes that the shootings were the climax of the Revolt of the Youth in the 1960s. He also believed that “‘it was symbolic that the military - not the police - but the military, complete with uniforms and arms, was involved because this reminded people of the war,’” (114).
Some people, including Alan Canfora, say that some things were directly and indirectly influenced by the shootings. They were that the retreat from Vietnam was hastened, the War Powers Act was passed (which puts a limit on the power of the president to wage war unchecked by Congress), the National Student Strike, the voting change was brought down from 21 years of age to 18. Finally, after six weeks in Cambodia, the U.S. withdrew its military (the Invasion of Cambodia was what the students were protesting.)
Some people think that the youth of the 60s and 70s were obnoxiously outspoken, inexperienced, and meddlesome. But they weren’t. They were young people who stood up for what they believed in with a passion. Their ideals of peace and unity were abstruse to their parents. But maybe the younger generation should be listened to more. As Bob Dylan says in “The Times They Are-a Changin’,”
“Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.”
The younger generation was untainted by the ideas of older generations and refused to be molded by society. The protestors who died and were wounded were heroes who embody the youth movement who risked sacrifice for justice. They never stood for anything less than compassionate, all of their ideas were centered on peace and harmony. Growing up, they could have been twisted into creatures of hatred because of the tumultuous decade, but instead they rose above. Protesting was their outlet “to defend [their] generation... that was a very proud chapter in American history,” (Canfora). People could learn from that today, younger people should be more active in the social and political changes they want to see.
Dr. Thomas Hensley and Dr. Jerry M. Lewis wrote an informational piece about May 4. They explained the impact Kent State had on the military, saying that “‘[law enforcement officials] have issued a caution to their troops to be careful because “We don’t want another Kent State.... Insofar as this happened, lessons have been learned, and the deaths of the four young Kent State students have not been in vain,’” (Caputo 112). The shootings imprinted themselves on Americans like a scar. Hensley and Lewis believe that the Kent State incident ‘“[symbolizes] a great American tragedy which occurred at the height of the Vietnam era, a period in which the nation found itself deeply divided both politically and culturally. The poignant picture of Mary Vecchio kneeling in agony over Jeffery Miller’s body... will remain forever as a reminder of the day when the Vietnam War came home to America... Kent State and the Vietnam War era remain controversial even today, and the need for healing continues to exist,’” (114).
Reverand John Adams believes that the shootings were the climax of the Revolt of the Youth in the 1960s. He also believed that “‘it was symbolic that the military - not the police - but the military, complete with uniforms and arms, was involved because this reminded people of the war,’” (114).
Some people, including Alan Canfora, say that some things were directly and indirectly influenced by the shootings. They were that the retreat from Vietnam was hastened, the War Powers Act was passed (which puts a limit on the power of the president to wage war unchecked by Congress), the National Student Strike, the voting change was brought down from 21 years of age to 18. Finally, after six weeks in Cambodia, the U.S. withdrew its military (the Invasion of Cambodia was what the students were protesting.)
Some people think that the youth of the 60s and 70s were obnoxiously outspoken, inexperienced, and meddlesome. But they weren’t. They were young people who stood up for what they believed in with a passion. Their ideals of peace and unity were abstruse to their parents. But maybe the younger generation should be listened to more. As Bob Dylan says in “The Times They Are-a Changin’,”
“Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.”
The younger generation was untainted by the ideas of older generations and refused to be molded by society. The protestors who died and were wounded were heroes who embody the youth movement who risked sacrifice for justice. They never stood for anything less than compassionate, all of their ideas were centered on peace and harmony. Growing up, they could have been twisted into creatures of hatred because of the tumultuous decade, but instead they rose above. Protesting was their outlet “to defend [their] generation... that was a very proud chapter in American history,” (Canfora). People could learn from that today, younger people should be more active in the social and political changes they want to see.
"The Times They Are A-Changin'" by Bob Dylan: (Lyrics Freak. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2014. <http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/ bob+dylan/the+times+they+are+a+changin_20021240.html)