Discuss the causes of the student protests at Kent State University in Ohio in 1970, and analyze the effects of the shootings on the nation and on Oklahoma.

Answer:

The protests at Kent State University in 1970 were caused mainly by growing opposition to the Vietnam War, especially after President Nixon announced the expansion of the war into Cambodia. Many students were already frustrated by the draft, the length of the war, and what they saw as government dishonesty. Tensions rose on campus, the National Guard was sent in, and guardsmen opened fire on student protesters, killing four students and wounding others. The shootings shocked the nation and increased antiwar feeling across the United States. Many colleges and universities saw larger protests, strikes, and campus shutdowns. In Oklahoma, the Kent State shootings helped intensify student protest activity on college campuses and made many people question US involvement in Vietnam even more strongly.