Across the U.S., campuses erupted in protests in what Time called "a nation-wide student strike", setting the stage for the events of early May 1970. The expansion of the war into Cambodia angered those who believed it only exacerbated the conflict and violated a neutral nation's sovereignty. and South Vietnamese forces invaded eastern Cambodia in what they claimed was an attempt to defeat the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops based there. The new procedure eliminated deferments allowed in the initial draft process, leaving many college students and teachers vulnerable to the draft. The nature of military participation also changed on December 1, 1969, when the first draft lottery since World War II took place. The Mỹ Lai massacre by American troops of between 347 and 504 Vietnamese villagers, exposed in November 1969, heightened opposition to the war, especially among younger people around the country. Nixon was elected in 1968, he promised to end the conflict, claiming he had a secret plan. Johnson significantly escalated involvement, raising the number of American troops in Vietnam to 100,000 in 1965, and eventually to more than 500,000 combat troops in 1968 with no tangible results and with increasing opposition and protests at home. involvement in the Vietnam War, sending 16,000 advisors in 1963, up from the 900 that President Dwight D. Background Poster calling for a student strike on May 4, 1970 The shootings and the strike affected public opinion at an already socially contentious time over the role of the United States in the Vietnam War. Ultimately, more than 4 million students participated in organized walk-outs at hundreds of universities, colleges, and high schools. It increased participation in the student strike that began on May 1. The shootings triggered immediate and massive outrage on campuses around the country. Scheuer and Schroeder were in the crowd of several hundred others who had been observing the proceedings more than 300 feet (91 m) from the firing line like most observers, they watched the protest during a break between their classes. Krause and Miller were among the more than 300 students who gathered to protest the expansion of the Cambodian campaign, which President Richard Nixon had announced in an April 30 television address. Students Allison Krause, 19, Jeffrey Glenn Miller, 20, and Sandra Lee Scheuer, 20, died on the scene, while William Knox Schroeder, 19, was pronounced dead at Robinson Memorial Hospital in nearby Ravenna shortly afterward. Twenty-eight National Guard soldiers fired about 67 rounds over 13 seconds, killing four students and wounding nine others, one of whom suffered permanent paralysis. The shootings took place on May 4, 1970, during a rally opposing the expanding involvement of the Vietnam War into Cambodia by United States military forces as well as protesting the National Guard presence on campus. The Kent State shootings (also known as the May 4 massacre and the Kent State massacre ) resulted in the killing of four and wounding of nine unarmed college students by the Ohio National Guard, on the Kent State University campus.
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