United States presidential election of 1968
The United States presidential election of 1968 was a pivotal moment in American political history, set against a backdrop of social turmoil and significant political change. Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 and the subsequent leadership of Lyndon B. Johnson, the nation faced a growing divide over issues like civil rights and the Vietnam War. As antiwar sentiment intensified, President Johnson announced he would not seek re-election, leading to a contentious Democratic National Convention that nominated Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey amid violent protests.
On the Republican side, former Vice President Richard Nixon emerged as the party's candidate, having narrowly lost to Kennedy in 1960. The election also saw Alabama Governor George C. Wallace running as a third-party candidate, advocating for states' rights and a strong military approach in Vietnam. Ultimately, Nixon won the election decisively, securing 301 electoral votes, while Humphrey received 191 and Wallace garnered 46. This election marked a significant shift in the political landscape, with Nixon's administration beginning a gradual withdrawal of U.S. forces from Vietnam and setting the stage for future political events, including the Watergate scandal. The 1968 election was thus not only a contest for the presidency but also a reflection of the nation's struggles and changing values during a turbulent era.
United States presidential election of 1968
Both a pivotal and a tragic presidential campaign and election. In a year marred by two political assassinations, this election changed the direction of both the foreign and domestic policy of the United States.
Origins and History
Between 1945 and 1968, the United States witnessed four contrasting styles of presidential leadership. The death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in April, 1945, initiated the confrontational leadership of Harry S Truman. This was replaced in 1953 by the restrained, fatherly style of Dwight D. Eisenhower. In 1961, John F. Kennedy, epitomizing the liberalism of the eastern establishment, ushered in aggressive, future-oriented leadership. His assassination in November, 1963, thrust Lyndon B. Johnson , with his chief legislator style, into the leadership of the nation.
The 1964 election gave President Johnson the mandate he needed to pursue his own agenda, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the escalation of the Vietnam War. Opposition to his Vietnam policy, especially from within the Democratic Party, caused great distress for President Johnson, but it was still assumed that he would run for reelection in 1968. However, as the election drew nearer and as antiwar demonstrations grew more numerous and more violent, that assumption evaporated. On March 31, 1968, the president shocked the nation by announcing that he would neither seek nor accept his party’s nomination for another term in the White House.
The wave of political assassinations that began in 1963 with the killing of President Kennedy soon marred the 1968 campaign. On April 4, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., was killed in Memphis, Tennessee. James Earl Ray confessed and was convicted of that murder. Shortly after midnight on June 5, the winner of that day’s California primary, Democrat Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated by a Jordanian immigrant named Sirhan Sirhan, apparently because of Kennedy’s support of Israel.
The Democratic National Convention in Chicago that summer, marred by violent antiwar demonstrations, nominated Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey for president. The Republican National Convention chose former vice president Richard M. Nixon, who had narrowly lost to John F. Kennedy in 1960. Alabama governor George C. Wallace organized his new American Independent Party to protest civil rights policy and to promote a military victory in Vietnam. The November election gave Nixon the victory with 301 electoral votes; compared with 191 for Humphrey and 46 for Wallace.
Impact
In 1968, opposition to President Johnson’s Vietnam policy cost the Democrats the White House that they had won by a landslide in 1964. President Nixon, who had previously supported the war policy, realized that a military victory was impossible. He therefore began a gradual disengagement and eventual withdrawal of U.S. forces; which was completed in 1973.
Subsequent Events
As President Nixon prepared for reelection in 1972, the Watergate break-in of the Democratic Party headquarters began one of the most traumatic periods of U.S. history. This included the unrelated forced resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew in 1973 and climaxed with the resignation of the president in August, 1974.
Additional Information
A detailed analysis of the political climate and the political figures of the 1960’s can be found in The Growth of the American Republic, volume two (1980), by Samuel Eliot Morison, Henry Steele Commager, and William Edward Leuchtenburg.