The Miracle Man; Kent State

The Miracle Man

"Thomas Jefferson still survives," John Adams' last words most definitely stand true, even today. Thomas Jefferson was a well-educated man with a wealthy and proper British-American upbringing. An excellent education was the beginning step to all the wonderful things Jefferson would do for our country. After college, he became a lawyer, and soon a member of the House of Burgesses. An intelligent writer and thinker, Jefferson, along with four others, was chosen to write the Declaration of Independence. Filled with Thomas Jefferson's great ideas, the Declaration of Independence greatly influenced the Constitution.

After the Declaration of Independence was written, a fire sparked in the hearts of the Americans who had suffered from the King of England's oppressive governing. A course of action had finally been taken against the King. New ideas spread regarding "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." The young nation's hope of freedom was now becoming more of a reality than a dream.

In the years following, a Constitutional Convention was held in order to "form a more perfect union." Models for the constitution consisted of forms of government such as the Magna Carta, which limited power of the king or government figure, and the Declaration of Independence. Ideas taken from the Declaration and Thomas Jefferson included points such as "We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life...". By mentioning the truths that are self evident, Jefferson lets the colonists know that they do indeed have rights. The Declaration was used as a model for the Constitution, through its focus on equal rights, to remind us that all men are created equal, and should be treated with the basic respect human beings deserves, along with the right to choose our destiny.

Today, we know America as a nation of peace and refuge from the other tyrannous governments of the world. Once, our nation, as American colonies, experienced these same tyrannous behaviors from the distant King of England. Thomas Jefferson doesn't hold back when mentioning the King's unjust actions. As stated in the Declaration of Independence,

...to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws , giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation for quartering large bodies of armed troops among us, for protecting them by a mock trial for punishment...for cutting off our trade with all parts of the world; for imposing taxes on us without our consent; for depriving us of the benefits of trial by jury, for transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses; for abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries...

The list goes on and on. Thomas Jefferson knew these actions were wrong and unjust and let the people know and realize that they were being treated unfairly.

America used to be susceptible to the cruel denial of her distant government, but under minds like Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence, was able to fight back. Because of Jefferson's outstanding views, as seen throughout the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution was formed. Today, America has one of the strongest governments in the world that is ruled by its people under our inalienable rights. Without Thomas Jefferson's intelligence to influence the Declaration of Independence, we would be missing the keystone in our bridge of democracy.

Kent State

In 1970 the nation was in its highest state of controversy. The generation gap that had begun to form in the sixties was now more of a ravine. The youth of America was finally standing up and raising their voices in protest against all the problems that plagued the country they would have control of in years to come. There were many events that helped in feeding the flame in the hearts of Americans. One such event was the Kent State University incident. It is an event that touched the nation and made such a profound mark, and yet it only lasted for thirteen seconds. In the thirteen seconds the Ohio National Guard, along with the rest of government by association, established themselves as the new enemy. All eyes were on them, scrutinizing their every move, pointing out every mistake they made. Interestingly enough, most don't even really know exactly what went on in those thirteen seconds, but they knew that it left four students dead and nine injured at the hand of the National Guard, so that was enough to strike the hearts on millions. Still today, twenty-nine years later, we still don't really know what went on. Who fired the first shot, and were they provoked? Was it necessary for the National Guard to be present on this typically calm college campus in the first place? And why did it have to end in such tragedy? There are so many questions, and so many misconceptions about this incident, and like any controversial issue, there are always two sides to the story.

Before choosing sides one must always look at the facts. The most important fact to know about the situation at Kent State University is that in the days before the shootings, the campus was anything but calm. It all began on Thursday, April 30, 1970, at eight in the morning. President Richard Nixon had just announced to the nation that the United States combat forces had just launched an "incursion" into Cambodia.

By noon on the following Friday nearly five hundred students, in protest of Nixon's decision to send troops into Cambodia, gathered to watch as a student at Kent State buries a copy of the United States Constitution, triggering a whole series of protest by other students. At three p.m. on Friday, Black United Students brought four hundred students together to discuss the Black community and racial incidents that plagued Ohio State University. At this time the protests remain calm. With a watchful eye the President of Kent State, Robert White, observes the groups and determines that the situation at Kent State is under control, and left on a planned trip to Iowa.

As the afternoon wore off into the evening, students and other people began to congregate in the Kent bar area. It was an unusually warm night, and by eleven o' clock the people were flooding the streets, closing them to traffic. Most of the students remained inside the bars, watching the NBA Basketball playoffs, many of the crowd outside are not Kent State students. A local motorcycle gang shows up and begins performing