1 / 17

1968: The Year America Came Apart

Explore the pivotal events of 1968 that shaped American history—Tet Offensive, Mai Lai Massacre, assassinations of MLK and RFK, LBJ's decline, Chicago riots, and Nixon's election.

yaphet
Download Presentation

1968: The Year America Came Apart

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. 1968The Year American Came Apart

  2. 1968 • The Tet Offensive (January) • The Mai Lai Massacre (March) • President Johnson declines to seek reelection (March) • Martin Luther King assassinated (April) • Robert Kennedy assassinated (June) • Riots at the Democratic Convention in Chicago (August)

  3. The Tet Offensive • January 30th, 1968 • A huge North Vietnamese attack upon the South • Actually a military defeat for the North • Proved that the war was not even close to being over • US officials had promised this for years • Major growth in anti-war movement

  4. The Tet Offensive

  5. The Mai Lai Massacre • March 16, 1968 • American troops in a small South Vietnamese village massacred 300 unarmed civilians • News slowly leaks out • Commander claims he was following orders • Turns out not to be unique event

  6. The Mai Lai Massacre

  7. LBJ in 1964 LBJ in 1968

  8. LBJ Announces He Won’t Seek Reelection • March 31, 1968 • Johnson looked awful on TV • Clearly worn down by failure of the War • Felt like America’s leader was abandoning the fight

  9. King’s Assassination • April 4th, 1968 • Killed in Memphis (probably) by James Earl Ray • Massive riots in many American cities • Bobby Kennedy pleads for peace in • DC only major US city not to have riots

  10. King’s Assassination

  11. Robert F. (Bobby) Kennedy

  12. Bobby Kennedy’s Assassination • June 5, 1968 • Had just won the California Democratic Primary • Was running for president as the peace and civil rights candidate • Many saw him as the best chance to unify the country

  13. http://www.arlingtoncemetery.com/rfk_mlking.rm RFK’s Assassination

  14. Democratic Convention in Chicago • August, 1968 • Anti-war protesters fill the streets • Mayor Daley’s police attack the protesters • TV cameras pick up the violence • IS THE WHOLE COUNTRY FALLING APART? • November: Richard Nixon is elected President

  15. Democratic Convention Riots The “Chicago Seven”

More Related