1968 Democratic National Convention
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The 1968 National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party was held in Chicago, Illinois from August 26 to August 29, 1968, for the purposes of choosing the Democratic nominee for the 1968 U.S. presidential election.
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Nomination
The decision was particularly difficult for the Democrats that year, due to the split in the party over the Vietnam War, and the assassination of popular candidate Robert F. Kennedy. On one side, Eugene McCarthy put forward a decidedly anti-war campaign, calling for the immediate withdrawal from the region. On the other side, Hubert H. Humphrey called for a policy more in line with President Lyndon Johnson's policy, which focused on making any reduction of force contingent on concessions extracted in the Paris Peace Talks.
The Democrats eventually settled on Hubert H. Humphrey, but would lose the election to Richard M. Nixon. A significant number of Democrats were so enraged by the War in Vietnam that they failed to see differences between Humphrey and Nixon. The confusion of the convention, and the unhappiness of many liberals with the outcome, led the Democrats to begin reforms of their nominating process, increasing the role of primaries and decreasing the power of party delegates in the selection process.
Protests
Anti-war demonstrators protested throughout the convention, clashing with police all around the convention center, the Chicago International Amphitheater (in the streets, as well in Lincoln Park and Grant Park). Mayor Richard J. Daley took a particularly hard line against the protesters, refusing permits for rallies and marches, and calling for whatever use of force necessary to subdue the crowds. When U.S. Sen. Abraham Ribicoff (D-Conn.) delivered a speech nominating George McGovern for President, he infuriated Daley by saying, "with George McGovern as President of the United States, we wouldn't have Gestapo tactics in the streets of Chicago." Lipreaders and eyewitnesses contended that Daley responded by saying "Fuck you, you Jew motherfucker," while Daley claimed that he had yelled "You faker!"
The mob scene was agitated by various speeches and a ruckus electric performance from the rock band The MC5. "[T]he MC5 [were] the only band to play [at]the 1968 [Democratic National Convention in] Chicago," (Wishnia 2004, 22). Some of the more famous protesters, including Abbie Hoffman, Tom Hayden, and Dave Dellinger, were collectively known as the "Chicago Eight" (later "Chicago Seven") as they were charged with conspiracy in connection with the violence. On February 18, 1970 they were found guilty of conspiring to incite riots, but the charges were eventually dismissed by an appeals court. The Walker Report to the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence pinned the blame for the violence in the streets on the police, calling it a "police riot."
Lyndon B. Johnson
One person that did not attend the convention was President Lyndon Johnson. On August 27, the second day of the convention, he turned 60. Delegates at the convention were hoping to see him so that they could celebrate his 60th birthday with him. Instead, he celebrated it privately with his family at his ranch in Texas, possibly to avoid the violence at the convention. (Of course, LBJ couldn't travel anywhere without facing any protests.)
Convention in popular culture
The 1969 film Medium Cool, although centered on a fictional story and employing actors in the principal roles, includes a substantial amount of footage of the riots, filmed during the convention. The 1970 song "Peace Frog" by The Doors includes the lyrics "Blood in the streets of the town of Chicago", an obvious mention of the violence in the 1968 convention. Graham Nash wrote Chicago, which is about both the convention and the Chicago Eight trial that subsequently took place. Phil Ochs was present at the demonstrations, and he talks of his experiences during his concert There and Now: Live in Vancouver 1968, which includes the song "Where Were You In Chicago?" Bassist Charlie Haden was inspired to write his 1969 song "Circus '68 '69" after watching the convention on television. The piece reflects the incident which happened after the minority plank on Vietnam was defeated. After the vote on the convention floor, the California and New York delegations spontaneously began singing "We Shall Overcome" in protest. In an effort to regain control, the rostrum told the convention orchestra to begin playing to drown out the singing.