1968
The Turning Point of America
Tet Offensive
January 31, 1968, the Communists of North Vietnam launched a series of surprise attacks on more than 100 cities in South Vietnam. The aim was to end the rebellion of South Vietnam, and force the U.S. to withdraw from South Vietnam. The Communists took heavy losses but had an impact on the morale of the U.S. and its citizens. President Johnson had been promising that the war was near an end, however, the Tet Offensive proved otherwise. This made many Americans oppose the war on a higher level.
Democratic Convention
August 28, 1968 at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, tens of thousands of Vietnam war protesters battle the police in the streets. Police forces severely beat and gassed many protesters, as well as doctors and newsman who came to help. This was all caught on live television. This caused many citizens to strongly oppose the Vietnam War.
Assassination of Robert Kennedy
During the early hours of June 5, 1968, Robert ¨Bobby¨ Kennedy had just finished giving a speech at the Ambassador Hotel in California. He was then shot in the kitchen of the hotel by a man named Sirhan BIshara Sirhan, a Palestinian immigrant.
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
April 4, 1968, shortly after 6 p.m. Dr. King was fatally shot while standing on a balcony at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. As word spread, riots broke out in cities across the country, and the man responsible, James Earl Ray, was arrested.