The 1968 Democratic National Convention was marked by riots and protests, with clashes between protesters and police lasting over a week. Protesters aimed to draw attention to civil rights and the Vietnam War, but the situation became explosive after an American Indian boy was shot and killed by police. The chaos contributed to Humphrey’s defeat and the victory of Richard Nixon. In 2008, protesters attempted to “re-create ’68” at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions with limited success.
The 1968 Democratic National Convention marked the nomination of Hubert Humphrey as the Democratic candidate for president, but he is best remembered for the riots and protests that surrounded him, along with the fierce competition for the nomination. The events of the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago marked the high point of the 1960s protest movement, with protesters and police clashing on the streets of Chicago for over a week in hot August weather. 40 years later, protesters attempted to “re-create ’68” at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions in Denver and Minneapolis/St. Paul respectively, with limited success.
As early as 1967, major players in the protest movement were planning an epic series of protests for the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The idea was to get as many protesters there as possible, and to protest largely peacefully, but forcefully. Protest organizers from groups like the International Youth Party wanted to get a lot of coverage, drawing attention to issues like civil rights and the Vietnam War, and they certainly succeeded in that goal.
In the months leading up to the Convention, protest groups filed permits for marches and rallies, often finding their demands thwarted at every turn, as the city of Chicago braced for an influx of protesters. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley indicated that he would take violations of the law very seriously during the Convention, increasing the police presence in Chicago and requesting the National Guard for backup. This created an explosive situation that appeared to be on a collision course with disaster.
The protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention could have been reasonably peaceful with marches, concerts and rallies, except that on August 22, four days before the Convention was officially due to start, an American Indian boy named Dean Johnson was shot and killed by the Chicago Traffic Police. This sparked mass demonstrations and riots in which hundreds of police officers and protesters were seriously injured; riot police such as Mace were used in an attempt to calm the crowds, along with clubs and mass arrests.
During the days of the Convention proper, the interior of the Convention Center was relatively quiet, but the streets of Chicago were ablaze, sometimes quite literally. Angry protesters boiled over, deviating from permitted marches and rallies, and Chicago police fought back. In the wake of the convention, eight police officers were indicted, along with eight civilians, who became known as the Chicago 8. During the trial of the Chicago 8, which switched to the Chicago 7 when they came to court in 1969, the defendants created a circus media, gossiping with the judge and refusing to abide by the rules of the courtroom.
The turmoil of the 1968 Democratic National Convention came in an already tumultuous year in American history; Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy had both been assassinated earlier in the year and support for the Vietnam War was at a low ebb. The media seized upon the chaos with glee, and it no doubt contributed to Humphrey’s defeat at the hands of Richard Nixon. Nixon’s margin of victory was less than half a million votes, demonstrating how divided the American people were at this point in history.
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