The Making of the President 1968 by Theodore H. White

For example, a prominent college-level United States history book by Mary Beth Norton et al. These books have the advantage of a broader historical perspective than the earlier books, but no single book can be considered the definitive account of the events and aftermath of May 4, l970, at Kent State University.(1)ĭespite the substantial literature which exists on the Kent State shootings, misinformation and misunderstanding continue to surround the events of May 4. Numerous additional books have been published in subsequent years (e.g., Davies, 1973 Hare, 1973 Hensley and Lewis, 1978 Kelner and Munves, 1980 Hensley, 1981 Payne, 1981 Bills, 1988 and Gordon, 1997).

Some books were published quickly, providing a fresh but frequently superficial or inaccurate analysis of the shootings (e.g., Eszterhas and Roberts, 1970 Warren, 1970 Casale and Paskoff, 1971 Michener, 1971 Stone, 1971 Taylor et al., 1971 and Tompkins and Anderson, 1971). In the nearly three decades since May 4, l970, a voluminous literature has developed analyzing the events of May 4 and their aftermath. Beyond the direct effects of the May 4, the shootings have certainly come to symbolize the deep political and social divisions that so sharply divided the country during the Vietnam War era. In The Ends of Power, Haldeman (1978) states that the shootings at Kent State began the slide into Watergate, eventually destroying the Nixon administration. Haldeman, a top aide to President Richard Nixon, suggests the shootings had a direct impact on national politics. The event triggered a nationwide student strike that forced hundreds of colleges and universities to close. The impact of the shootings was dramatic. On May 4, 1970, members of the Ohio National Guard fired into a crowd of Kent State University demonstrators, killing four and wounding nine Kent State students. THE MAY 4 SHOOTINGS AT KENT STATE UNIVERSITY: THE SEARCH FOR HISTORICAL ACCURACY

The Making of the President 1968 by Theodore H. White