| The 1968 Election and the Silent Majority (1968) |
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Sections:- Shock and Disillusionment in the Wake of the Tet Offensive
- President Johnson Will Not Seek Reelection
- The Quest for the Democratic Nomination: Eugene McCarthy
- The Quest for the Democratic Nomination: Robert F. Kennedy
- The End of a Dream: The Riots of 1968
- The Quest for the Democratic Nomination: Hubert Humphrey
- The 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago
- The Nixon Campaign and the Silent Majority
- The Wallace Campaign
- The Outcome of the 1968 Election
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| Historical Context
As 1968 began, President Johnson and military brass offered optimistic appraisals of the situation in Vietnam. However, on January 30th, 70,000 North Vietnamese and Vietcong troops launched a massive, unexpected offensive on the lunar New Year holiday of Tet. Although American forces managed to repel enemy forces and casualties were comparatively low, public support for the war plummeted irrecoverably as Americans recognized the inevitability of stalemate and began to feel mislead by their leaders. Although the attack was a military disaster for the Vietnamese, it was also a propaganda coup.
Attached Documents:
Included in this section are a video clip that offers a concise overview of the Tet Offensive(0:30 seconds), a graph that illustrates the impact of the war on Presidential approval, and a short transcript of a Walter Cronkite broadcast after Tet.
Questions to consider:
1. What impact did the Tet Offensive have on the American public's perceptions of the war, the president and the future?
2. What role did the media play in American's assessments of the Tet Offensive? Do you think that the media mischaracterized the impact of Tet, or did they offer a realistic analysis of event?
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| Historical Context
As the 1968 nomination season began, LBJ realized he was in serious political peril. The polls reflected growing disillusionment with the war and his approval rating reached an all time low. He only narrowly won the New Hampshire primary against anti-war challenger Senator Eugene McCarthy and four days later charismatic Senator Robert Kennedy entered the race. On March 31st, President Johnson announced his decision not to seek reelection and to limit the war in hope of beginning the peace process. Johnson also urges Americans to remain steadfast in their unity and resolve.
Attached Documents
The documents in the section include a video clip of the President announcing his decision. (0:58 minutes) and the full transcript of LBJ's announcement.
Questions to Consider:
1. Why does Johnson propose a limited bombing halt in North Vietnam?
2. What concerns does LBJ have about America? What responsibilities does he feel?
3. What is the main reason LBJ cites for his decision not to run? Do you think that there were additional reasons for his withdrawl from the race? |
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| Historical Context
Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy was the first to challenge the president for the Democratic nomination in 1968 as the anti-war candidate. McCarthy nearly defeated LBJ in the New Hampshire primary with 42%, attracting liberals and white suburbanites. His campaign illustrated the deep divisions within the party and Johnson's vulnerability. Student volunteers in the New Hampshire campaign traded their long beards and hippie threads for neat haircuts and conservative clothing, in an effort dubbed "Be clean for Gene!" Despite his strong start, McCarthy was overtaken in the primaries by Senator Robert Kennedy.
In this 1967 press conference, McCarthy lists the costs of the war at home and abroad. He also addresses the pervasive sense of alienation and disunity tainting American politics in the Vietnam Era.
Attached Document:
Included in this section is the text of McCarthy announcement of his candidacy for the Democratic nomination.
Question to consider:
1. What does McCarthy's speech suggest about the political and social climate in 1967 and 1968?
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| Historical Context
Four days after President Johnson narrowly won the 1968 New Hampshire Primary against Senator McCarthy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy joined the race for the Nomination. The culmination of the Tet Offensive, the embarrassing New Hampshire Primary, and RFK's candidacy prompted Johnson to exit the race. RFK was anti-war, charismatic, and, of course, John F. Kennedy's brother. He reached out to Latinos and African Americans and became the frontrunner in the primaries, splitting the anti-war vote. However, immediately after winning the decisive California primary, he was assassinated by Jordanian Sirhan Sirhan for his position on Israel.
In this dramatic April 4th speech, RFK announces the death of Martin Luther King to the crowd at an Indianapolis campaign rally. (5:53 minutes)
RFK supported the National Farm Workers Union strike against grape producers. In this photo, he appears with the Union's leader, Cesar Chavez.
Attached Documents:
Included here is Robert Kennedy's speech following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and a RFK Campaign Broshure from 1968.
Question to consider:
1. What effect do you think the Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy assassinations had on the 1968 election and the nation's overall morale?
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| Historical Context
Following the assassination of the influential and beloved civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, over 120 American cities erupted in violence. Despite Dr. King's steadfast commitment to non-violent activism,
frustrated and bereaved citizens in cities including Washington DC, Baltimore, Chicago, and Kansas city reacted to Dr. King's death and the bleakness of their circumstances with explosive rage that devasted homes and businesses, killed 20, and resulted in thousands of arrests and injuries.
This TIME Magazine article makes a comparison between Dr. King and President Johnson. It also mentions the tactics used by authorities in several cities experiencing riots.
Attached Document:
Included here is Time Magazine's article entitled "An Hour of Need."
Questions to consider:
1. What frustions, in addition to grief and rage over Dr. King's assassination, do you think the rioters were expressing?
2. What tactics did the President use to try to quell the rioting? What about the authorities in the individual cities?
3. How did the rioting affect the neighborhoods in which it occured?
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| Historical Context
A few weeks after President Johnson's withdrawal from the nomination race, Vice President Hubert Humphrey announced his candidacy. Although he had a strong civil rights record and ties to organized labor, his affiliation with Johnson and support for the Vietnam War made him unappealing to Americans frustrated with the status quo. However, after Robert Kennedy's assassination, Humphrey remained the only candidate with the credentials to secure the nomination. Humphrey did not compete in the primaries, but he did use his political connections to garner enough delegates to win at the violent 1968 Democratic Convention and become the Democratic nominee. Ironically, his campaign was called "The Politics of Joy."
Question to consider:
1. Analyze the two images below. What do they suggest about Humphrey's candidacy and public image?
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| Historical Context
The events of the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, August 21-26, dramatically illustrated the depth of the divisions in the Party and society at large when it erupted into violence. Anti-war activists planned a massive demonstration outside convention venues and radicals such as Abbie Hoffman planned demonstrative antics. In response, Chicago's Mayor Richard Daley (one of the last remaining political bosses) refused all parade permits and mobilized over 20,000 law enforcement personnel, including local police, the National Guard, and US Army. On August 28, as demonstrators marched toward the convention arena, what was later described as a "police riot" occurred as officers fired tear gas and beat protesters and reporters indiscriminately. Inside the convention hall, as Senator Abraham Ribicoff denounced the "Gestapo tactics" of the police, Mayor Daley was caught on camera saying, "You Jew son of a bitch..., go home!" A young Dan Rather was punched by a security guard on the convention floor. Hubert Humphrey won the nomination, but the Democratic party was hopelessly fractured.
The documents in this section include:
1) A famous photo of police taking down protesters.
2) "Tsk, Tsk" political cartoon.
3) Photo of delegates inside protesting the war.
Attached Document:
Included here is a video of Dan Rather getting punched by security.(0:27 minutes)
Questions to consider:
1. Was Vice President Hubert Humphrey a better choice than Senator Eugene McCarthy? Why or why not?
2. What do the events at the 1968 Convention reveal about the Democratic Party, American society, and the outcome of the election?
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| Historical Context
The 1968 Republican Convention in Miami stood in stark contrast to the violent and divisive Democratic Convention in Chicago. The frontrunner, Richard Nixon, was nominated on the first ballot and Spiro Agnew emerged as his running mate. Nixon campaigned as the champion of the "silent majority," the hardworking Americans who paid taxes, did not demonstrate, and desired a restoration of "law and order." In his nomination acceptance speech, Nixon vowed to restore respect for the rule of law, reconstitute the dignity and stature of America, and to dispose of ineffectual social welfare programs. Nixon emphasizes the need for unity, patriotism, and strong leadership to end the turmoil of the 1960's.
Attached Document:
Richard Nixon's acceptance speech of the Republican nomination is included here.
Questions to consider:
1. How does Nixon describe the silent majority and what kind of America did they envision?
2. What problems does Nixon perceive as most pressing in the late 1960's?
3. How do you think incidents of urban violence affected Nixon's candidacy? |
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| Historical Context
For the first time since 1948, a serious third party candidate ran for president. Alabama Governor George Wallace, an ardent segregationist, railed against anti-war demonstrators, urban uprisings, and school integration initiatives with incendiary language. Wallace did surprisingly well in the polls until his selection of Air Force General Curtis LeMay as a running mate. In the past, LeMay famously advocated the use of nuclear weapons to "bomb North Vietnam back to the Stone Age," and this did not resonate with most Americans who were wary of the atom bomb. Although Wallace managed to win only five states in the Deep South, the limited success of his candidacy illustrates the polarization of American public opinion in the late 1960's and the lingering influence of racism.
Attached Document:
Included here are selected quotes from George Wallace during the 1968 election.
Question to consider:
1. George Wallace went on to attract 13.5% of the vote in the presidential election. Which events occurring in the late 1960's would influence someone to cast a vote for Wallace? |
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| Historical Context
On Election Day, Richard Nixon only narrowly defeated Hubert Humphrey, but the combined total of popular votes for Nixon and Wallace indicate a shift to the right in American politics. The 1960's began as an era of optimism and possibility and ended in disunity and distrust. The Vietnam war and a series of assassinations and crises eroded public trust in government and produced a backlash against liberal movements and the Democratic party.
Questions to consider:
1. What events and ideas shaped the outcome of the 1968 election?
2. Given the outcome of the election, do you think that Nixon's assessment of the silent majority was accurate?
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