The year 1968 was a turbulent and violent time for American society. The war in Vietnam angered numbers of Americans who despised its results: an increasing death toll, which initiated more anti-war protests and a counter-cultural movement that counteracted traditional beliefs. Due to the constant and seemingly never-ending violence, such as the Vietnam War, two assassinations, and various protests, the year 1968 became known as one of the most pivotal years for the nation.
The Vietnam War proved to be a very controversial, deadly topic throughout the year as well. 1968 was the most violent year of the war, when North Vietnam launched an attack on the South, which provoked military failure for the South, but political success for the North. This defeat led to a necessary request for more soldiers, almost 200,000 more on top of the half of a million already fighting. American families and friends of potential draft candidates were nervously waiting by the television to see if they had to report for the draft. The media transitioned into openly critiquing the war and the effect it was having on Americans. As a result, former president Lyndon B. Johnson decided to drop out of the presidential election for …show more content…
Martin Luther King, Jr., a civil rights activist who encouraged nonviolence and peaceful protests, was assassinated April 4th, 1968. He led the Civil Rights Movement, which for decades emphasized and encouraged a community in which people of all races could live peacefully. Without their leader present, violent protests broke out. While his death continued to shock the nation, just two months later, another assassination followed. This time, the victim was Robert Kennedy. On June 5th, this democratic candidate for president was gunned down by an Arab nationalist. Especially directly after King’s death, Kennedy’s assassination was too much for America to
The Vietnam War proved to be a very controversial, deadly topic throughout the year as well. 1968 was the most violent year of the war, when North Vietnam launched an attack on the South, which provoked military failure for the South, but political success for the North. This defeat led to a necessary request for more soldiers, almost 200,000 more on top of the half of a million already fighting. American families and friends of potential draft candidates were nervously waiting by the television to see if they had to report for the draft. The media transitioned into openly critiquing the war and the effect it was having on Americans. As a result, former president Lyndon B. Johnson decided to drop out of the presidential election for …show more content…
Martin Luther King, Jr., a civil rights activist who encouraged nonviolence and peaceful protests, was assassinated April 4th, 1968. He led the Civil Rights Movement, which for decades emphasized and encouraged a community in which people of all races could live peacefully. Without their leader present, violent protests broke out. While his death continued to shock the nation, just two months later, another assassination followed. This time, the victim was Robert Kennedy. On June 5th, this democratic candidate for president was gunned down by an Arab nationalist. Especially directly after King’s death, Kennedy’s assassination was too much for America to