American History: The Vietnam War

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“Nixon Wins By Thin Margin” read the front page of the New York Times on Thursday November 7th, 1968, two days after Election Day. Richard Nixon won about 4 times the margin he lost to John F. Kennedy in 1960. The craziness that occurred during the election went hand in hand with the chaos of 1968. In this election, there were three candidates: Richard Nixon of the Republican Party, Hubert Humphrey of the Democratic Party, and George Wallace of the American Independent Party. The candidates did not know it at the time, but they would become part of the Presidential Election that would help shape American Politics to what they are today. The election of Richard Nixon in 1968 marked a turning point in the American political ideology, ultimately sparking a conservative revolution that would last the better part of the next 24 years.
1968 was one of the most chaotic and violent years in American history. The Vietnam War was being fought during this year, and with the war came many protests. Over 40% of Americans were against the war, polarizing the nation. Just about half a million American soldiers were fighting in Vietnam and the death toll nearing 20,000 (Gould 7). To add to the madness, in March James Earl Ray assassinated Martin Luther King Junior. As a result, crime rates were higher than ever. Murder, rape, assault, and robberies occurred far more than ever before. The number of reported crimes rose by 60% (Gould 14). Riots occurred in many cities such as Los Angeles and Philadelphia. The summer of 1968 was known as the “red, hot summer” as a result of all these riots. The last of the madness to occur before the election of 1968 was the Democratic Primary season ending with the Democratic National Convention in Septe...

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...as made possible by the crumbling of the New Deal Order, by disillusion with the New Frontier and Great Society Liberalism" ("1968" n.pag.). Similarly, a PBS article on the 1968 Presidential Election considers the close election to be a mandate against the Democratic Party (“Thematic” n.pag.). The Election of 1968 also marked the division of the South from the Democratic Party. Wallace’s promise of segregation intrigued Southern, white, male voters and then Nixon’s Southern Strategy pulled them over to the Republican Party. The results of this election can be seen in politics today. The southern states predominately vote for the Republican Party in elections. Also, the United States of America is still a fairly conservative nation, shown by the Republican majority in Congress as well as the Majority of Governors belonging to the Republican Party.

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