The year 1968 was perhaps one of the most turbulent years in American history. A Civil Rights movement was getting into full swing, Vietnam was tearing America apart, students were protesting and America seemed to be going in a new "un-charted direction." Vietcong forces were stepping up their efforts in the TET offensive, presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy was shot, Martin Luther King was shot, and the Democratic National Convention came into disarray by an angry group of students in Chicago.
Your task for this assignment is to analyze why 1968 was such as turbulent year. In your opinion, which event was the most significant in leading to the turmoil that was 1968? After choosing which event you felt was most significant, discuss how this event helped to shape/define the decade of the 1960s.
This assignment should be no longer than two pages and should focus on ONE of the topics below. Do not simply repeat or re-tell the event, nor should you repeat / summarize wiki for that matter. Instead, analyze the event in the greater context of the 1960s. How does this one event culminate a decade of turbulence?
- Robert F. Kennedy shot as Democratic Party hopeful - Martin Luther King shot by James Earl Ray - TET offensive explodes in Vietnam - Election of 1968 & Democratic National Convention in Chicago - Students protest against Dow Chemical Recruiters - Columbia University shut down by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) - Hippie / Counterculture movements which happened in 1968