1968 Democratic National Convention
From Metapedia
The 1968 Democratic National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party was held at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois, from August 26 to August 29, 1968, for the purpose of choosing the Democratic nominee for the 1968 U.S. presidential election.[1]
1968 already had been a tumultuous year for the United States, with the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. in April and Robert F. Kennedy (then a U.S. senator from New York) in June during his campaign for the Democratic nomination, and widespread protests against the Vietnam War. The convention achieved notoriety because of clashes between protesters and police, and the generally chaotic atmosphere of the event. The turmoil was widely publicized by the mass media on-hand for the convention, resulting in a nationwide debate about the convention and leading to a flood of articles and books about the event.
The keynote speaker was Daniel Inouye, a U.S. senator from Hawaii.[2]
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[edit] Nomination
The selection of a Presidential nominee was particularly difficult for the Democrats that year because of the split in the party over the Vietnam War, President Lyndon B. Johnson's decision not to seek re-election (announced March 31st), and Robert Kennedy's assassination (June 6). On one side, Eugene McCarthy, a U.S. senator from Minnesota, ran a decidedly anti-war campaign, calling for immediate withdrawal from the region. On the other side, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, who did not participate in any primaries but controlled enough delegates to secure the nomination, called for a policy more in line with President Johnson's, which focused on making any reduction of force contingent on concessions extracted in the Paris Peace Talks.
The Democrats eventually nominated Humphrey, who went on to lose the election to Richard M. Nixon. The confusion of the convention, and the unhappiness of many liberals with the outcome, led the Democrats to begin reforms of their nominating process, increasing the role of primaries and decreasing the power of party delegates in the selection process.
| Presidential tally | Vice Presidential tally: | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hubert Humphrey | 1759.25 | Edmund S. Muskie | 1942.5 |
| Eugene McCarthy | 601 | Not Voting | 604.25 |
| George S. McGovern | 146.5 | Julian Bond | 48.5 |
| Channing Phillips | 67.5 | David Hoeh | 4 |
| Daniel K. Moore | 17.5 | Edward M. Kennedy | 3.5 |
| Edward M. Kennedy | 12.75 | Eugene McCarthy | 3.0 |
| Paul W. "Bear" Bryant | 1.5 | Others | 16.25 |
| James H. Gray | 0.5 | ||
| George Wallace | 0.5 |
Source: Keating Holland, "All the Votes... Really," CNN [3]
[edit] Protests and police response
[edit] The Chicago Seven
Eight of the protesters — Abbie Hoffman, Tom Hayden, David Dellinger, Rennie Davis, John Froines, Jerry Rubin, Lee Weiner, and Bobby Seale — were charged with conspiracy in connection with the violence at the convention. They were known collectively as the "Chicago Eight"; however, Seale was tried separately after a mistrial was declared in his case, thus the smaller group became known as the "Chicago Seven".
On February 18, 1970, all seven defendants were acquitted on the charge of conspiring to incite a riot, but five were convicted of incitement as individuals. However, all of the convictions were eventually overturned by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
[edit] Lyndon B. Johnson
One person who did not attend the convention was President Lyndon Johnson, who several months earlier had announced that he would neither seek nor accept the nomination for the presidency.
On August 27, the second day of the convention, Johnson turned 60. Some delegates at the convention were hoping to see him so that they could celebrate his 60th birthday with him. Instead, he celebrated it privately with his family at his ranch in Texas, possibly to avoid the violence at the convention. Later, it was learned that the Secret Service advised him against attending the convention.
[edit] See also
