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May 4th Shootings at Kent State Analysis |
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Interviews
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The legality of dispersal was later debated at a subsequent wrongful death and injury trial. On appeal the United States Court of Appeals ruled that authorities did indeed have the right to disperse the crowd. The events that took place at Kent State were tragic for the victims, the families, and for the United States of America. We, as a nation need to learn from our mistakes in order to grow and move forward as a better educated society. President Nixon's declaration of invasion on Cambodia was without the consent for war by Congress. Another point of conflict at Kent State was the debate between government and protesters about freedom of speech. The protesters were called unpatriotic because they didn't support the war our country was fighting. Laura L. Davis, a freshmen at Kent State at the time of shooting and now an English professor and dean at Kent State said "I recall the furious debate over patriotism and free speech between government officials and protesters. The lesson from it that I tried to teach was to emphasize the power of language, how people are manipulated through language, and how to see through the language to reality." |