1968 in the United States

Last updated

←

Flag of the United States.svg
1968
in
the United States

→

Decades:
See also:

1968 in the United States was marked by several major historical events. It is often considered to be one of the most turbulent and traumatic years of the 20th century in the United States. [1]

Contents

The year began with relative peace until January 21 when the North Vietnamese Army PAVN attacked the Marine base at Khe Sanh Combat Base Quang Tri Province, Vietnam. This was the beginning of the Battle of Khe Sanh and the attack focused US command on Khe Sanh near the DMZ. The initial attack was followed by the North Vietnamese country-wide launch of the Tet Offensive on January 30, resulting in a South Vietnamese-US victory, eliminating the Viet Cong as an effective fighting force. The attack included a North Vietnamese assassination attempt on South Vietnam's president Nguyễn Văn Thiệu which failed. North Vietnam premised the attack on a South Vietnamese uprising against South Vietnam and US forces but this uprising did not occur as the South Vietnamese populace did not rally to the North. Also, on January 23 the North Korean government seized USS Pueblo and its crew of eighty-three in an attempt to divert attention from a failed January 21 assassination attempt on South Korean President Park Chung-hee known as the Blue House raid. In Greenland a B-52 bomber on a Cold War mission known as Operation Chrome Dome crashed with four nuclear bombs on board. One airman was killed. The cleanup operation was informally known as Operation Freezelove, a play on words on the movie Dr. Strangelove .

Four to six thousand citizens of the city of Huế, Vietnam, deemed political enemies, were either clubbed to death or buried alive by the North Vietnamese Army. This is known as the Massacre at Hue.

The year also saw the highest level of US troop commitment when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed legislation that increased the maximum number of United States troops active on the ground to five hundred and forty-nine thousand and five hundred (549,500). This did not count US forces in the South China Sea, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, North Vietnam, and China with reserves in the Philippines, Okinawa, Japan, Korea, Guam, Hawaii, the United States, and worldwide totaling over three million (3,000,000). South Vietnam in the same year fielded a total force of eight hundred and twenty thousand troops (820,000). It was also the most expensive year of the war, with a cost of $77.4 billion. The support of the United States for South Vietnam was at its peak. Antiwar sentiment continued to grow as an increasing number of Americans questioned United States involvement in Vietnam, as the United States was drafting young men to fight for South Vietnam while South Vietnam did not have a draft for its own citizens; however, the war continued despite changing US public opinion.

North Vietnam benefited politically from the Tet Offensive when Walter Cronkite, a respected television newscaster, swayed many Americans and President Johnson, by giving his personal opinion on a national prime time editorial: "It is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could." This may have marked a transition in journalism where a news reporter became a news and policy maker. President Johnson cited Walter Cronkite's changed opinion as a factor as well as Johnson's poor New Hampshire primary numbers in his decision to stop seeking reelection, stating to his advisers: "If I have lost Cronkite I have lost middle America."

On April 4, civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. The United States erupted in violent riots, the most severe of which occurred in Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Baltimore. Extensive areas of these and many other cities were looted, burned, and destroyed by the rioters and more than 40 people were killed during the month of protest, which led to greater racial tensions between Americans. Despite this, a landmark piece of legislation, the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which was President John F. Kennedy's legacy, was passed by the expertise of President Johnson in April. This legislation was passed with bipartisan Congressional support and effectively prohibited housing discrimination based on race.

The 1968 United States presidential election became a referendum on the Vietnam War. A peace candidate had previously emerged in the Democratic Party when Senator Eugene McCarthy challenged the Vietnam War policies of President Johnson, who had refused to seek or accept another nomination for president and had endorsed his vice president, Hubert Humphrey, for the Democratic presidential nomination. Senator McCarthy's support came primarily from young people, most of whom were subject to the draft or were in deferred status. This divided the country by age as older citizens, a so-called silent majority, tended to support or not actively oppose government policies. This division of the populace encouraged Senator Robert F. Kennedy to seek the Democratic presidential nomination. Robert F. Kennedy who was a leading 1968 Democratic presidential candidate was assassinated after winning the California primary and defeating Senator Eugene McCarthy. The assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in June led to uncertainty in the race for the Democratic nomination for the presidency. After Vice President Humphrey won the Democratic nomination at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, another wave of violent protests emerged, this time between the mostly young antiwar demonstrators and police. The uncertainty within the Democratic Party benefited Richard Nixon, a Republican and former vice president, as he successfully won the presidential race by appealing to the "Silent Majority" under the promise "Peace with Honor". Nixon, a staunch anti-communist, had gained the voters' trust. A particularly strong showing by segregationist George Wallace of the American Independent Party in 1968's presidential election highlighted the strong element of racial division that continued to persist across the country.

In popular culture, 2001: A Space Odyssey was the most profitable film of the year, earning $56.7 million, while Oliver! won the Academy Award for Best Picture. "Hey Jude" by the Beatles was the hottest single of 1968 in the U.S. according to Billboard, demonstrating the continued popularity of bands associated with the British Invasion that began in 1964.

Incumbents

Federal government

Events

January

February

The execution of Nguyen Van Lem Execution of Nguyen Van Lem.jpg
The execution of Nguyễn Văn Lém

March

March 16: My Lai Massacre My Lai massacre.jpg
March 16: My Lai Massacre

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Undated

Ongoing

Births

January – February

Josh Brolin Josh Brolin Berlin 2016.jpg
Josh Brolin
Molly Ringwald Molly Ringwald in Greece (cropped).jpg
Molly Ringwald

March – May

June – July

August – October

Will Smith TechCrunch Disrupt 2019 (48834434641) (cropped).jpg
Will Smith

November – December

Owen Wilson Owen Wilson Cannes 2011.jpg
Owen Wilson

Deaths

See also

Related Research Articles

1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1964th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 964th year of the 2nd millennium, the 64th year of the 20th century, and the 5th year of the 1960s decade.

1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the 10th and last year of the 1960s decade.

1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1963rd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 963rd year of the 2nd millennium, the 63rd year of the 20th century, and the 4th year of the 1960s decade.

1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1968th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 968th year of the 2nd millennium, the 68th year of the 20th century, and the 9th year of the 1960s decade.

1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1967th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 967th year of the 2nd millennium, the 67th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year of the 1960s decade.

1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1965th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 965th year of the 2nd millennium, the 65th year of the 20th century, and the 6th year of the 1960s decade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 United States presidential election</span> 46th quadrennial U.S. presidential election

The 1968 United States presidential election was the 46th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 5, 1968. The Republican nominee, former vice president Richard Nixon, defeated both the Democratic nominee, incumbent vice president Hubert Humphrey, and the American Independent Party nominee, former Alabama governor George Wallace. This was the last election until 1988 in which the incumbent president was not on the ballot. This is the most recent election where a third-party candidate won an electoral vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyndon B. Johnson</span> President of the United States from 1963 to 1969

Lyndon Baines Johnson, often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served as the 37th vice president from 1961 to 1963. A Democrat from Texas, Johnson also served as a U.S. representative and U.S. senator.

Events from the year 1961 in the United States.

Events from the year 1963 in the United States.

Events from the year 1964 in the United States.

Events from the year 1965 in the United States.

This is a list of notable events that took place in 1966 in the United States.

Events from the year 1967 in the United States.

Events from the year 1969 in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1970 in the United States</span> List of events

Events from the year 1970 in the United States.

Events from the year 1971 in the United States.

Events from the year 1972 in the United States.

Events from the year 1973 in the United States. The year saw a number of important historical events in the country, including the death of former President Lyndon B. Johnson, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on Roe v. Wade, the signing of the Paris Peace Accords and end of the United States participation in the Vietnam War, the end of the post-World War II boom and the beginning of the first of a series of recessions that continued over the next decade, and the first oil crisis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">November 1967</span> Month of 1967

The following events occurred in November 1967:

References

  1. ↑ McLaughlin, Katie (July 31, 2014). "Eight unforgettable ways 1968 made history". CNN.
  2. ↑ Lyndon B. Johnson (March 11, 1968). Memorandum Approving the Adoption by the Federal Government of a Standard Code for Information Interchange. The American Presidency Project. Accessed 2008-04-14.
  3. ↑ Bell, Daniel (March 17, 2016). Encyclopedia of International Games. McFarland. p. 512. ISBN   978-1-4766-1527-1.
  4. ↑ Mitchell K. Hall (2008). "Chronology". Historical Dictionary of the Nixon-Ford Era. Scarecrow Press. ISBN   978-0-8108-6410-8.
  5. 1 2 Mars, Kelli (November 13, 2018). "50 Years Ago, Apollo 8 is GO for the Moon!". NASA. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration today announced that the Apollo 8 mission would be prepared for an orbital flight around the Moon.
  6. ↑ Klesius, Mike (December 19, 2008). "To Boldly Go". Smithsonian Magazine. On November 12, [Tom] Paine, by then the new NASA administrator, announced to the world that Apollo 8's mission had changed, and that it would take Borman, Lovell, and Anders into orbit around the moon on Christmas Eve.
  7. ↑ "Computers Unlimited, Incorporated announces Richard E Schneider Vice President of Scientific Research and Development". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. August 18, 1968. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  8. ↑ Pickrell, John (September 4, 2006). "Timeline: HIV & AIDS". New Scientist.
  9. ↑ ‘Wings,’ ‘Lois & Clark’ Actress Farrah Forke Dies at 54
  10. ↑ Santa Cruz native Tom Urbani, 54, a former MLB pitcher who coached youth baseball, dies
  11. ↑ "Guy Fieri Biography (1968–)". Biography.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Monte Cook". Authors and Artists for Young Adults (Collection). Vol. 63. Gale. 2005. ISSN   1040-5682 . Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Molly Ringwald Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  14. ↑ Tim Steele, 1968–2024
  15. ↑ Maxine Block; Anna Herthe Rothe; Marjorie Dent Candee (2004). Current Biography Yearbook. H.W. Wilson. p. 73.
  16. ↑ "A Year of Mourning : Gravestone for Ron Goldman Unveiled". Los Angeles Times. May 29, 1995.
  17. ↑ "Julia Turner Obituary - Marietta, GA". Dignity Memorial.
  18. ↑ Norah Vincent, Who Chronicled Passing as a Man, Is Dead at 53
  19. ↑ Sisario, Ben (February 12, 2023). "De La Soul's David Jolicoeur, Who Rapped as Trugoy the Dove, Dies at 54". The New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  20. ↑ Goyette, Caroline (October 29, 2007). "True Grit". Milwaukee Magazine. Archived from the original on November 16, 2007. Retrieved November 20, 2007.
  21. ↑ R. Baird Shuman (2002). Great American Writers: Twentieth Century. Marshall Cavendish. p. 503. ISBN   978-0-7614-7240-7.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.