Kent State Shooting

Olivia Chilvers, Luke Bowen, Alex Coletto, Vienna Agnew

 About the Photographer

John Filo, 21
● Senior at Kent State
● Majored in Photo-Illustration
● Student Photographer
● Part-Time News Photographer
Background to Photo ● The Vietnam War started in 1955 and
ended in 1970
● Nixon was elected in 1968 and promised
in his campaign to end the war
● 2.2 million young men were drafted
● In 1970, Nixon allowed troops to invade
Cambodia with approval from Secretary of
State or Defense Secretary
● Protest began May 1st and was held by
students against the bombing of
Cambodia by the U.S.
● Millions of students on many different
college campuses protested
● Students were throwing rocks and
bottles and the Police used tear gas to
control the students
● Ohio National Guard arrives
 Photo Context

● Kent State University in Kent, Ohio

● May 4th 1970 12:24 p.m.
● Mary Ann Vecchio, Age 14
● Jeffrey Miller, Age 20
● Kent State Shootings
● Ohio National Guard began shooting
● Shooting lasted 13 seconds
● All student were unarmed
● 4 students were shot and 9 wounded
Thesis
● Jeffrey Miller represents the Vietnam war

with Mary Ann Vecchio crying over his dead

body, an embodiment of the youth being

affected by the subsequent conflict. Those

surrounding the pair, seemingly milling about

and uncertain of what to do, depicts the rest

of society and their conflicting feelings about

whether or not to help those being dragged

into the war

 Analysis
● Focal point: Mary Ann and Jeffrey
Miller
● Figure ground contrast: Jeffery and
Mary contrast with the ground
beneath them with black on white
● Whole composition: Somewhat
faded and unclear which adds this
sense of unrealism.
● Curb as division: the curb creates
two distinct groups of people within
the photo
Works Cited
“The May 4 Shootings at Kent State University: The Search For.” Kent State University,

https://www.kent.edu/may-4-historical-accuracy.

“25 Of the Most Iconic Photographs.” CNN, Cable News Network, 1 Sept. 2013,

https://www.cnn.com/2013/09/01/world/gallery/iconic-images/index.html.

CNN, Cable News Network, www.cnn.com/chat/transcripts/2000/5/4/filo/.

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The Pulitzer Prizes, www.pulitzer.org/winners/john-paul-filo.

History.com Editors. “Kent State Shooting.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 8 Sept.

2017, www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/kent-state-shooting.