This week marks the anniversary of the tragic Kent State demonstrations, a protest against the Vietnam War (specifically, the Cambodia invasion) that cost the lives of four students and injured nine others.  Given the importance of Vietnam to modern American history, it is a common topic in our history classrooms and assignments.  The Kent State shooting showed us that even students here in America could find themselves in the line of fire.

Whether you’re researching the Kent State tragedy or the Vietnam War as a whole, there are plenty of resources for you.  Databases like America: History and Life or JSTOR have a wealth of information – even a simple search turns up hundreds of articles, new and old.  Or, for contemporary accounts, try a newspaper source like the Historical New York Times.  In addition to quotes from the people involved, many include haunting photographs, such as the famous Pulitzer Prize winning image by John Filo (a Kent State student at the time).  For primary sources, try Oral History Online or American Memory from the Library of Congress.  And Public Documents Masterfile is useful for government investigations and reports.

 Or perhaps you’d prefer books.  Our ebook collection includes titles like Where Have All the Flower Children Gone? by Sandra Gurvis and Radicals, Rhetoric, and the War by Brad Lucas, both of which deal with Kent State – and many more on the Vietnam War.  Or try American History in Video for news reports and documentaries.

 Many more resources on the Vietnam War can be found here.  And all of our other history databases can be found on this libguide.  And if you need any help with your research, ask me at iueref@iue.edu – I’m eager to help you.

Kent State: The Day the War Came Home

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