Allison Beth Krause (; April 23, 1951 – May 4, 1970) was one of four unarmed Kent State University students shot and killed by soldiers of the Ohio Army National Guard in the May 4, 1970 Kent State shootings in Kent, Ohio. The shootings occurred as students protested against both the invasion of Cambodia and the National Guard presence on campus.

Krause—an ardent anti-war activist—was shot in the left side of her chest from a distance of approximately . A subsequent autopsy found that a single bullet entered and exited her upper left arm before entering her left lateral chest, fragmenting on impact and causing extensive internal injuries to her chest and stomach. She died from her wounds before reaching the hospital.

The day prior to her death, Krause observed a single lilac within the barrel of the gun of a guardsman on the campus of Kent State University; upon hearing an officer order the guardsman to remove the flower, she caught the flower as it fell to the ground, stating, "Flowers are better than bullets." This quote—inscribed upon Krause's gravestone—has become synonymous with Krause's legacy of peace activism.

Early life

Krause was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 23, 1951, the first child born to Doris Lillian (née Levine) and Arthur Selwyn Krause. She had a younger sister, Laurel (b. 1954). Krause was Jewish. She was an alumna of John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, Maryland, although Krause's parents and younger sister moved to Churchill, Pennsylvania, in the summer of 1969.

The Krause family regularly undertook day trips throughout the sisters' childhood and teenage years. One of these locations was to Kent, Ohio, where the family typically dined at a restaurant overlooking the university campus. Reportedly, Krause resolved to attend the university upon her graduation due to these day trips, informing her mother: "You know, Mom, I'd like to come to school here when I'm old enough."

140px|thumb|upright|Krause,

Krause grew into a tall young woman with high cheekbones, thick, dark hair and brown eyes. She seldom wore makeup, and her features led some to believe she was of Mediterranean ancestry. Krause typically devoted her free time to solitary pursuits such as drawing, painting, reading, and sculpting. By her late teens, she had also developed an interest in contemporary domestic and global issues in addition to politics and civil rights. While attending KSU, Krause became acquainted with a student named Barry Levine. The two began dating and became almost inseparable.

Political climate

By the late 1960s, many young Americans had a negative attitude towards the country's involvement in the Vietnam War and the issue of conscription. These anti-war sentiments were keenly felt among the student population at KSU, and Krause and Levine were active and vocal demonstrators in several student protests. Via both her protesting statements and actions while enrolled at KSU, Krause expressed her belief in the civil right to protest but to not engage in violence. She also attended the second Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam demonstration in Washington, D.C. in November 1969.

140px|thumb|upright|Poster calling for a nationwide student protest against the [[Cambodian Campaign|Cambodian incursion to be held on May 4, 1970—the date of the Kent State shootings]]

By early 1970, Krause had become disillusioned with the climate at KSU. She is known to have informed her parents and younger sister during a family visit on her 19th birthday that she found the atmosphere on campus both stifling and regimented. She is also known to have discussed her long-term ambition to relocate to Canada with Levine following their graduation, to which he was amenable.

The weekend of May 2–3 saw further disruption upon and around the university campus, including beer glasses thrown at police cars, students forming a human chain on Walter Street, blocking traffic and asking drivers their opinion of the Vietnam War, and approximately $10,000 worth of damage inflicted with acts of vandalism, looting, and arson.

Flowers versus bullets conversation

That afternoon, Krause and Levine specifically sought to converse with several guardsmen. Reportedly, upon seeing a lone guardsman standing with a lilac sprouting from his gun, Krause tugged her boyfriend by the arm in a gesture for the two to engage in conversation with this particular soldier—according to some sources, he was a student at the University of Akron who explained his unit was unable to leave the campus.