1968: Chaos in America
RFK, the Democratic National Convention, and the Election of Nixon
In the second half of 1968, the country explodes into violence following the deaths of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.
June 5: The Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy
Just two months after the killing of Martin Luther King, Jr., Senator Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down in a Los Angeles hotel kitchen pantry. Kennedy had just finished a victory speech after his triumph in the California Democratic Primary when Sirhan Sirhan, 24-year-old Palestinian, fired three shots into him, the fatal bullet entering his head at close range. Although he clung to life for over 24 hours, Robert F. Kennedy was pronounced dead early on the morning of June 6.
After lying in New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral for two days, Kennedy’s body was carried by a funeral train to Washington, D.C. for burial at Arlington National Cemetery. Thousands of people lined up along the train route to pay their respects. On June 8, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy was laid to rest in a simple grave, 30 yards from the final resting place of his older brother John.
August 26-29: Democratic National Convention
One aftermath of Kennedy’s assassination was that the Democratic Party would fail to adopt a strong anti-war platform at their nominating convention in Chicago. Given the already tense atmosphere in the country, it seemed likely that anti-Vietnam demonstrations in the city would turn violent, and that’s exactly what happened.
Chicago mayor Richard Daley vowed to maintain law and order in the city, the Chicago police prepared for the onslaught, and the National Guard was called in for backup. Denied permits by the city to demonstrate and sleep in city parks, protestors clashed nightly with police as they attempted to forcibly remove them. On the night of August 28, as Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey was given the Democratic nomination, millions of Americans watched live on television as police beat down demonstrators.
While an official report later called the incident a "police riot," eight protest leaders, inluding Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and Bobby Seale, were indicted and faced charges for violating the Anti-Riot Act of 1968. While five of the defendants were found guilty, their sentences were later overturned by a federal appeals court.
November 5: Richard M. Nixon elected President
The chaos in Chicago severely divided the Democratic Party and hurt their chances in the general election. Republicans had nominated former Vice President Richard Nixon, and he ran on a “law and order” message designed to appeal to conservative voters who felt alienated by the waves of violent protests the country had seen. Compounding Humphrey’s problems was the emergence of a credible third party candidate, pro-segrationist George Wallace, the former Governor of Alabama, who siphoned off votes in the rural South.
Despite trailing in polls, Humphrey was able to close the gap considerably before Election Day, and the final vote turned out to be much closer than expected. But despite carrying the popular vote by less than one percentage point, Nixon was able win the electoral vote with wins in pivotal states such as California, Ohio, and Illinois.
December 24: Apollo 8 Orbits the Moon
Despite the chaos and upheaval of 1968, the year ended on a positive note, with Apollo 8 becoming the first manned mission to a celestial body. Launched on December 21, the three-man crew traveled to the moon and orbited it 10 times. On the evening of December 24, Christmas Eve, nearly one billion people watched on television or heard on radio as the astronauts read the first 10 verses of the book of Genesis.
On Christmas Day, the crew headed back to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on December 28. Apollo 8 not only helped Americans forget some of the turmoil of the previous year, but paved the way for men to land on the moon in 1969.
Sources
- NASA: Apollo 8 Mission Summary
- A Brief History of Chicago's 1968 Demoratic Convention, Allpolitics, cnn.com.
- Vietnam & The 1968 Election, Dennis M. Simon.
- This Day in History 1968: Robert Kennedy Buried, history.com.
