1968 Democratic Convention Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

1968 Democratic Convention - Research Paper Example Despite of its rich legacy, there have been some events related to the history of this party, which still haunt the stakeholders (Campbell, 2008). One of these events is the â€Å"Democratic National Convention of 1968 at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois† (Campbell, 2008). This paper is an attempt to present a brief account of the events that led to this convention, the happenings during the convention and events that took place in the aftermath. Discussion Before light is shed on the convention, it is important to draw a rough and succinct sketch of the events leading to Democratic Convention of 1968 that would help in better understanding of the entire event and its happenings. Events leading to 1968 Democratic Convention Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Without any doubts, the man who saw the dream, Martin Luther King, Jr. remains as one of the most influential personalities in the American history (Hoffman, Leary & Mailer, 2008). During the late 1950s and 1960s, he had become the icon of American liberalism, anti Vietnam War advocate, civil right activist and leader of the peace movement (Dautrich & Yalof, 2009). It was on April 4, 1968 when he was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. This created widespread anger, frustration and rage in the public and riots spread in major United States, such as â€Å"Washington D.C., Kansas City, Baltimore, Louisville, Chicago, and various 100 other major cities causing damage of more than 50 million US dollars† (Farber, 1988). In fact, Chicago has not witnessed such magnitude of riots since 1968. During these disturbances, â€Å"11 citizens lost their lives, 48 injured, 90 police officers were wounded, and more than 2156 were taken into police custody† (Kusch, 2004). Despite the fact that the city appeared to be getting back to the normal after a week or so but this event installed the first wave of anger and frustration within the hearts of minds, par ts of which became evident during the convention as well (Edy, 2006). Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy After the death of Luther King, Jr. Robert F. Kennedy was the first political leader, who was also running for the Democratic Party nomination for President. Kennedy had lost his brother John F. Kennedy earlier in the decade (Farber, 1988). Shortly after addressing his supporters at midnight in a ballroom at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, he left for addressing a press conference (Kusch, 2004). On his way to the conference, he took the route that went through the kitchen and a Palestinian immigrant, Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, who shoot Kennedy in the chest three times. He died after 26 hours, thus depriving the democratic party of a charismatic and influential leader who would have gone on to win the Democratic convention (Campbell, 2008; Hoffman, Leary & Mailer, 2008). Decision of Lyndon B. Johnson not to contest for the second term Lyndon B. Johnson, one of the four political personalities in the history of United States to serve as the President, Vice President, Representative, and Senator during his career, was the 36th president of the United States who served during the 1963-1969 era. He served as the vice president during the Kennedy era and took over the job as the president of the country after his assassination. He ran for the office after completing that term and won with an overwhelming majority. Johnson is still praised by critics and observers for his domestic policies such as â€Å"Great Society legislations† (McGowen, 2003). However, he paid the price for increasing American involvement in Vietnam War in form of his sharply declining popularity, both in the American