"The Whole World Is Watching"
Robert F. Kennedy after winning the California presidential primary, just before he was shot, June 5, 1968
Halfway through 1968, a second assassination shook the nation. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., was killed on June 5, in the midst of his increasingly popular campaign for president. Known for his support of economic and racial equality, the death of another charismatic leader in two months led many to feel an ominous sense of loss and despair.
Riots at the Democratic National Convention, 1968
In August, events at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago pushed the country even further apart. A coalition of over 10,000 activists had come to demonstrate for peace candidate Eugene McCarthy and against the war. The violent response by the police toward the protestors (and innocent bystanders and reporters), televised nightly, shocked and horrified the country. “The whole world is watching,” chanted the protestors as they were beaten and hauled off to jail.
Conservatives despaired of the civil unrest and rebellion that seemed to be out of control. Liberals were outraged by what they saw as an assault on the democratic process and disappointed about the nomination of Hubert Humphrey, President Johnson’s vice president, who continued to support Johnson's Vietnam policies. Some feared that America could not withstand another blow.
Read these excerpts from “Rights in Conflict,” a report issued in December 1968 about the Chicago riots. The first section explains the original goals of the protest. The next two sections are official accounts of what occurred during the protests.
Reading: Excerpts from "Rights in Conflict" Report
Take Notes
What were the goals of the protest, according to Davis and Hayden? Whom does the report find responsible for the violence? Why? What warning does it include about the future?
Calderwood Writing Course: U.S. History
