1968 Election Essay

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Social issues during the Election of 1968 were stirring; urban rioting, restlessness in college campuses, and the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. lead to an era of mass hysteria and chaos. On February 29, 1968, Kerner commission on the urban violence issues condemned the cause to be racism, as it states, “Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal.” Moreover, this great divide between the people caused a rise in black militant groups and civil rights leaders. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover ordered to neutralize the threat; he stated, “Prevent the rise of a 'messiah' who could unify, and electrify the militant black nationalist movement.” Hoover believed the “messiah” could be Malcolm X, Martin …show more content…

The Tet offensive resulted in many U.S. and South Vietnamese casualties (death toll rose more than five hundred per week), which weakened U.S. public for the war in Vietnam. Politically, the impact of the Vietnam War ended President Johnson’s hopes of reelection. Senator Eugene McCarthy announced his statement that he would want the Democratic nomination, as he was against Johnson’s Vietnam policies; he won forty-two percent of the primary election, although McCarthy did not win, Johnson felt vulnerable. Kennedy entered the race for the Democratic nomination, convinced he would not win re-election from the Democratic party Johnson dropped his …show more content…

The political assassination was only two months after the assassination of Martin Luther King. Together, the two events shook the nation and raised concern in the hearts of Americans about the country’s violence. Kennedy’s assassination ultimately took him out of the presidential elections and gave vice-president Hubert Humphrey a chance. At the time of his assassination, Kennedy was within close reach of securing the Democratic nomination against his fellow Democratic candidate Eugene McCarthy. Kennedy’s death was a factor that helped Humphrey control a majority of delegates attending the Democratic convention in late

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