Last year marked the fiftieth anniversary of two events, one at Kent State University in Ohio and the other at
Jackson State University in Mississippi, during the Vietnam War. Clashes between university students, the
National Guard, city and state police, made national headlines and shocked the sensibilities of most Americans
across the political and social divide. Remembering that this is 1970, not 2020, I want you to watch this hourlong documentary and imagine what you would have done had you been a student at Kent State or Jackson
State that spring semester of 1970. Then, just like you did in your first homework assignment, I would like you
to write a reaction paper of at least 500 words (double-spaced, MS-Word–no PDFs) addressing the following
questions:
Based on the arguments that you heard in the film (not what you can deduce from Google or Wikipedia), what
specifically was the cause of student unrest? What would you have done on May 3rd and 4th if you were a
student at Kent State? Why? Can you relate to Gerald Casale’s emotions as he witnessed what was
happening on May 4th? What did he do? Remember that these students are YOUR age. What would you have
done if you were a member of the National Guard deployed at Kent State? Why? What did Laura Davis’s father
say about what happened? Why do you think he (and others who shared his perspective) reacted the way he
did? How can you explain the events that transpired at Jackson State?

Sample Solution