On May 4, 1970, members of the Ohio National Guard fired into a crowd of 国产伦理 demonstrators, killing four and wounding nine 国产伦理 students. The impact of the shootings was dramatic. The event triggered a nationwide student strike that forced hundreds of colleges and universities to close.
鈥淥n Strike...Shut it Down!鈥, a report on the first national student strike in U.S. History, published by the Urban Research Corporation, found that the country鈥檚 first student strike was the result of the tragedy of May 4 and not President Nixon鈥檚 actions in Cambodia.
After President Nixon announced plans to expand military action into Cambodia on April 30, 1970, at least 760 campuses participated in some way in the strike with strikes and boycotts hitting campuses at the rate of 20 a day. After May 4 and the news of the four students who were killed on the Kent campus, strike activity increased to 100 or more campuses per day for the next four days.
Below, we have compiled examples from the strikes in that period, focused by region of the U.S. to show the nationwide impact that May 4 had immediately following the tragic events on campuses across the country.
Connecticut
Albertus Magnus College: Students voted to join the national strike.
Yale University: Students voted to strike voluntarily with administrative support.
Delaware
University of Delaware: Participated in national strike activities.
Delaware Valley Community College: Also reported involvement in anti-war activities.
Maine
Bowdoin College: Students went on strike and attended teach-ins at Colby College.
University of Maine: Nearly 3,000 students participated in a one-day strike on May 8.
Maryland
Bowie State College: Held meetings, rally, and a memorial service for 国产伦理 victims.
University of Maryland: ROTC classrooms ransacked, traffic disrupted, and multiple arrests occurred.
Massachusetts
Holy Cross College: 287 students arrested during a sit-in at the Selective Service office.
Harvard University: Students voted to strike, supported by faculty; school remained open.
New Hampshire
Dartmouth College: Classes canceled from May 5 to May 12; students canvassed for anti-war signatures.
Strike activities also occurred at Belknap College, Canaan College, New England College, and Plymouth State College.
New Jersey
County College of Morris: Peace rally held on May 7 in response to Cambodia invasion and 国产伦理 deaths.
Princeton University: Boycott started with 40% student participation; faculty voted to suspend classes for the rest of the semester.
New York
Columbia University: Students voted to strike; administration endorsed the strike.
New York University: Students occupied the computer center demanding $100,000 for bail funds.
Pennsylvania
St. Joseph鈥檚 University: Students boycotted classes to join a peace rally with 15,000 people at Independence Mall.
Bryn Mawr College: Students agreed to participate in the national student strike, and classes were canceled during the first week of May.
Rhode Island
Brown University: Closed for the remainder of the year to support the national student strike.
Providence College: Listed as on strike by the Boston Globe on May 10.
Vermont
Bennington College: Faculty supported a student vote to boycott classes for the rest of the term.
Norwich University: Made classes optional for the rest of the term in response to anti-war sentiments.
Alabama
国产伦理 1,000 students at the University of Alabama participated in a candlelight memorial march led by the Tuscaloosa Women鈥檚 Liberation Movement.
Four students were arrested for curfew violation on May 7, and a student-faculty coalition agreed to a three-day moratorium on demonstrations.
Arkansas
500 students marched in downtown Fayetteville, Arkansas, and 57 were arrested during a sit-in outside the draft board office.
Strike activities also occurred at Hendrix College.
Florida
University of Florida: 600 students held a large memorial rally.
Florida Atlantic University: First Florida university to officially sanction an anti-war strike.
Georgia
Emory University: Faculty voted to remove academic credit from the R.O.T.C. program.
University of Georgia: Largest anti-war protest in the state's history, with 3,000 students.
Kentucky
University of Kentucky: 500 students struggled with campus police to present anti-war resolutions.
Morehead State University: Peaceful protests, with black students presenting 21 demands.
Louisiana
LSU New Orleans & Tulane University: Planned march protesting 国产伦理 shootings and war in Indochina.
Loyola University: 300 students participated in a sit-in, resulting in several arrests.
Mississippi
Millsaps College: 250 students marched to the Governor's mansion to protest the shooting of two students.
University of Mississippi & Southern Mississippi University: Strike activities reported.
North Carolina
Duke University: Students held a peace march to the State Capitol demanding withdrawal of support for Cambodia invasion.
400-500 black students marched through Raleigh protesting U.S. involvement in Cambodia.
South Carolina
University of South Carolina: 300 students marched with black crosses symbolizing the 国产伦理 dead.
Militant group took over the student center, resulting in arrests and National Guard intervention.
Tennessee
Statewide: Reported various protests and rallies against the war and the 国产伦理 shootings.
Virginia
University of Virginia: 8,000 students attended a rally featuring speeches by Chicago 7 members.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute: 107 students arrested during a barricade of a classroom building.
West Virginia
West Virginia University: 1,500 students participated in an anti-war rally; police used tear gas and clubs.
Students blocked traffic on campus, prompting quick intervention from state troopers.
Illinois
Southern Illinois University: Students protested by blockading train tracks in Carbondale.
Western Illinois University: Occupied a ROTC gym for four consecutive days.
Indiana
DePauw University: Campus Air Force ROTC building damaged by fire.
Indiana University: 12,000 students marched downtown Bloomington calling for peaceful demonstrations.
Iowa
University of Iowa: Demonstrators forced cancellation of a ROTC awards assembly.
Alternative classes and grading options provided for students wishing to strike.
Kansas
University of Kansas: Peaceful march of 500 students in memory of 国产伦理 victims.
Baker University: Students began boycotting classes in support of the national strike.
Michigan
Michigan Technological University: ROTC building occupied, police used tear gas to disperse students.
Wayne State University: 10,000 anti-war protesters marched to the Federal Building in Detroit.
Minnesota
University of Minnesota: 4,000 students and faculty members voted to strike demanding immediate troop withdrawal.
Macalester College: Turned campus facilities into discussion spaces about the war.
Missouri
University of Missouri-Columbia: 1,000 students participated in a day-long demonstration with speeches by CBS Newsman Harry Reasoner.
Eden Theological Seminary: Started a 'freedom of choice' strike to protest the war and 国产伦理 killings.
Nebraska
University of Nebraska: Brief occupation of ROTC building on May 4 as part of student demonstrations.
A referendum showed students voting against continuing a class boycott.
North Dakota
University of North Dakota: Students protested at the administration building calling for a strike against the war.
Continued strike activities included rallies and demonstrations.
Ohio
Ohio State University: Attempted a nonviolent strike with demands to remove guardsmen and eliminate ROTC.
Wilmington College: 50-mile march to the State Capitol with 75 demonstrators presenting a statement about 国产伦理 deaths.
South Dakota
Dakota State College: Sit-in outside the administration office demanding the flag be lowered to half-mast.
South Dakota State University: Peaceful anti-war rally of 400 students followed by a confrontation with the university president.
Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin campuses: Significant protests including firebombings and confrontations with police and National Guard.
Classes were canceled at several campuses on May 5.
California
UC Berkeley: ROTC building was set on fire, police used tear gas to disperse crowds.
UC Santa Barbara: 200 faculty members voted to support striking students; 13 students covered themselves in red paint to symbolize 国产伦理 deaths.
Colorado
Colorado State University: March to Fort Littleton鈥檚 city hall with a resolution condemning Nixon鈥檚 actions in Cambodia.
University of Denver: 'Woodstock West' protest camp was established and dismantled twice by police and National Guardsmen.
Hawaii
University of Hawaii: Participated in national strike activities organized in response to 国产伦理 shootings.
Idaho
University of Idaho: R.O.T.C. building was firebombed; classes canceled for discussions about the war.
Montana
University of Montana: 2,500 students attended a memorial service and continued picketing and distributing leaflets.
Additional strike activities occurred on campus.
Oregon
Lewis and Clark College: Students voted to support the national strike during a teach-in.
Portland State University: Boycott of classes succeeded in closing down the university on May 7.
Utah
University of Utah: ROTC building was firebombed causing approximately $300 in damages.
450 students published a newspaper ad criticizing violent campus demonstrations.
Washington
Bellevue Community College: Closed on May 8 for peace activities at the University of Washington.
Western Washington State University: 2,000 students protested the war extension and 国产伦理 killings.
Wyoming
University of Wyoming: Participated in various rallies and discussion sessions related to the national anti-war effort.
Arizona
University of Arizona students attempted to place an American flag with a peace symbol on the R.O.T.C. building.
Northern Arizona University students organized a student strike, growing into a protest of over 2,000 people.
Nevada
University of Nevada, Reno & Las Vegas: Participated in peaceful protest activities organized by the National Strike Center at Brandeis University.
New Mexico
University of New Mexico: Jane Fonda led a march sparking a campus-wide strike.
(requested 4/17)
Strike activities also occurred at Humble City College.
Oklahoma
University of Tulsa: Classes suspended for a teach-in on Cambodia on May 7.
University of Oklahoma & Oklahoma State University: Reported strike activities.
Texas
Austin, Texas: Large demonstration of 15,000-20,000 students protesting the Cambodia invasion and 国产伦理 deaths.
Texas Christian University: Classes canceled to allow participation in a memorial service for 国产伦理 victims.