Why was the democratic convention of 1968 the wildest convention in American history?
Few years revoke sad memories, as did 1968. The year 1968 marked the period when America lost two great citizens and leaders. Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated in April, and Robert Kennedy was assassinated in the month of June. Generally, the 1960s were a hard time for the country and many events happened then, some of which were a defining moment for the country. This period marked the protestations of the war in Vietnam, where many Americans had lost their lives. There were riots reported in different parts in the country and there were many political upheavals. The Democratic Party also convened in Chicago to choose a new leader in 1968. The primary stages of conventions started with the selection of local party officials. The delegates were then selected to a statewide convention and it is in this convention that delegates selected members to the national convention
The democratic convention of 1968 is described as the “most memorable and disastrous conventions in American history”[1]. The main aim for the convention was the party to pick a candidate who would run for the party as the presidential candidate. Unfortunately, it seems like people had more than that in mind when they convened. There were many things happening in the country during that time. As the convention was going on, riots broke out as people differed over the decision of the country to engage in the Vietnam War. Outside, the police were dealing with the rioters, using what most people regarded as excessive force. The mayor of Chicago at the time was Richard Daley and he had employed thousands of police forces to curb the violence that was to be expected.
The number of police officers used was twelve thousand. Three hundred police officers were armed with revolvers and shotguns. There were six thousand army troops and five thousand national guardsmen who had been placed in emergency[2]. He had tried to reduce the number of protesters by denying them a permit to hold rallies and sleep in the park but the demonstrators did not give up. The police went as far as imposing a curfew at Lincoln Park. Thousands of protestors were protesting against the war in Vietnam and they had assembled in the Chicago. The mayor had directed the police to use strong-arm tactics to deal with the protestors. This was especially after the police had failed to calm the riots after King’s death. The mayor did not want a repeat occurrence. The police used Chemical Mace and clubs to scatter the crowds. Some police officers went as far as hiding their identities by covering their identification numbers[3].
People watched as the police beat up the demonstrators and this led to more conflicts in the convention hall[4]. During this time, more white Americans had become more acceptable of the blacks and some of them had even joined in the fight against racism and other forms of discrimination. The demonstrators saw the convention as a platform where they could raise their concerns and issues and they hoped that someone would listen. Peaceful demonstrations and rallies had not been enough and this was evident in the assassination of King. The Yippies referred to the convention as the “convention of death”. They aimed to attract more young people to their movement, which they hoped, by confronting the old-fashioned tendencies of the democratic convention, would return America back to the people and they created the “festival of life” movement[5].
The police use of violence was probably fuelled by the rising anger, hatred and scorn towards them. The police force felt unappreciated and they were not compensated adequately for all their efforts. Moreover, the judicial system frustrated their efforts when they seemed to favor the criminals. In addition to this, they had to deal with youth who had no respect for authority and all they seemed to care about was freedom and equality[6]. Another group that was actively present, and which protested the war, was the National Mobilization to End the War in Vietnam (MOBE).
This group also faced violence from the police. It consisted of people who were against the Vietnam War and it included the Yippies. The executive board decided on the demonstrations that were to be carried out and sent out correspondences to the different groups they were affiliated with, such as the Women Strike for Peace, when there was a rally to hold. They were only granted a license to hold a rally at the last minute. MOBE taught the other groups who were not familiar with street demonstrations how to avoid confrontations with the police. All of this tension escalated in the 1968 convention and it continued to worsen as more issues were raised. The situation was made worse by the number of people who had gone on strike during that time. Cab and bus drivers had decided to go on strike and garbage had not been collected for days. There were not only riots in the city, but there was also garbage and a lot of stench[7].
The situation was no better in the hall where the convention was being held. President Johnson had just announced that he would not run for presidency again and so the party had to look for another candidate to stand in his place. The party could not speak with one voice where the Vietnam War was concerned. While some supported the war, others were totally opposed to it and they were looking for a way to stop it. Senator Eugene McCarthy led the anti-war side while the then vice president Hubert Humphrey led those who supported the war. The caucus-elect did not have to stand for the primary elections and unfortunately, most of them seemed to be in support of the war. Humphrey had received support from Johnson and McCarthy knew that he had a lot of opposition.
Although some of the delegates supported Humphrey, they knew that he had little chance of winning against the republican candidate who at the time was Richard Nixon. The delegates were well aware of the importance of having the Chicago’s mayor support because of the influence he had. The security that the mayor had deployed instilled fear in those who did not support the vice president, and they restricted the press from covering the events on the convention floor. The delegates who supported McCarthy began protesting and they began showing solidarity with the demonstrators outside[8].
Although the actions taken by the police during the democratic convention week were largely condemned and seen as brutal, it is important to remember that some of the demonstrators deserved to be treated in such manner. While some demonstrators were peaceful and tried to hold peaceful rallies, others were rude and violent. They hurled obscene insults at the police, threatened them and threw stones and other objects at them. Some of them went as far as harassing motorists and throwing rocks and bottles[9]. The police should have tried to restrain their use of force especially with the people who were not armed. They seemed to target the media as they tried to cover the clashes on the streets.
Some of the police officers seemed like they were on a revenge mission seeing the kind of brutality they used. The senior officers even admonished some of the officers and warned them not to be led by “personal feelings of individuals”[10]. The events that happened in the convention and the demonstrations that were experienced around Chicago made the democratic convention of 1968 the wildest convention in American history. The country had not experienced such occurrences even during the civil war movement. This was a period when for a short period, the demonstrators forgot about being white or black as the fought for a common purpose. The period clearly distinguished between the thoughts the young generation had for the future, and the conservative ways of the older generation.
Works Cited
Campbell, James. The American Campaign: U.S. Presidential Campaigns and the National Vote. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2008. Print.
Farber, David. Chicago ’68. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1994. Print.
Kusch, Frank. Battleground Chicago: The Police and the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2008. Print.
Waddington, David. Contemporary Issues in Public Disorder: A comparative and Historical Approach. New York, NY: Routledge, 1992. Print.
Wayne, Stephen. The Road to the White House 2012. New York, NY: Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.
[1] James Campbell, The American Campaign: U.S. Presidential Campaigns and the National Vote (College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2008) 152
[2] David Waddington, Contemporary Issues in Public Disorder: A Comparative and Historical Approach (New York, NY: Routledge, 1992) 43
[3] David Waddington, Contemporary Issues in Public Disorder: A Comparative and Historical Approach (New York, NY: Routledge, 1992) 42
[4] Stephen Wayne, The Road to the White House 2012 (New York, NY: Cengage Learning, 2011) 112
[5] David Farber, Chicago ’68 (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1994) xvi
[6] David Farber, Chicago ’68 (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1994) xiv
[7] Frank Kusch, Battleground Chicago: The Police and the 1968 Democratic National Convention (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2008) 70
[8] Frank Kusch, Battleground Chicago: The Police and the 1968 Democratic National Convention (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2008) 74
[9] Frank Kusch, Battleground Chicago: The Police and the 1968 Democratic National Convention (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2008) 74
[10] Frank Kusch, Battleground Chicago: The Police and the 1968 Democratic National Convention (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2008) 76
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