Hard Hat Presented to President Nixon after Kent State Riots
5/8/1970
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In April 1970, President Richard Nixon announced his plan to send ground groups to Cambodia to attack Communist sanctuaries and central headquarters. This apparent expansion of the Vietnam War detonated an explosion of antiwar activity. The public was still unaware that Nixon had been secretly bombing Cambodia since mid-March 1969—an escalation of a covert bombing campaign started by Johnson in 1965.
Antiwar activity escalated to a national crisis when the National Guard was called in and four students were shot at a protest at Kent State University in Ohio. News of the shootings rocked the nation. Many were outraged, but the outrage took different forms. According to a Gallup Poll, 58 percent of Americans blamed the students for the violence at Kent State. President Nixon appeared to agree. In response to the shootings he said, “When dissent turns to violence, it invites tragedy.”
New York City Mayor John Lindsay flew the American flag at half mast after the Kent State shootings. Construction workers protested his decision by rioting in the city on May 7 and 8. A bystander remarked that he could feel the polarization. Nixon later thanked rioters for their public demonstration of support. This hat was presented to President Nixon.
Antiwar activity escalated to a national crisis when the National Guard was called in and four students were shot at a protest at Kent State University in Ohio. News of the shootings rocked the nation. Many were outraged, but the outrage took different forms. According to a Gallup Poll, 58 percent of Americans blamed the students for the violence at Kent State. President Nixon appeared to agree. In response to the shootings he said, “When dissent turns to violence, it invites tragedy.”
New York City Mayor John Lindsay flew the American flag at half mast after the Kent State shootings. Construction workers protested his decision by rioting in the city on May 7 and 8. A bystander remarked that he could feel the polarization. Nixon later thanked rioters for their public demonstration of support. This hat was presented to President Nixon.
This primary source comes from the Collection RN-MUS: Richard Nixon Presidential Library Museum Collection.
Full Citation: Museum Object 1970.2881.a-b; Hard Hat Presented to President Nixon after Kent State Riots; 5/8/1970; Collection RN-MUS: Richard Nixon Presidential Library Museum Collection; Richard Nixon Library, Yorba Linda, California. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/hard-hat-president-nixon-kent-state-riots, December 6, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
