American History: The Election of 1968
23 November 2011
In this 1968 black-and-white file photo, President Lyndon Johnson, right, confers with President-elect Richard Nixon in the White House in Washington
STEVE EMBER: Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English. I’m Steve Ember.
Nineteen sixty-eight was a presidential election year in the United States. It was also one of the saddest and most difficult years in modern American history. The nation was divided by often violent disputes about civil rights and the war in Vietnam.
President Lyndon Johnson had helped win major civil rights legislation. Yet he had also greatly expanded American involvement in the war in Vietnam. By early nineteen sixty-eight, it was almost impossible for him to leave the White House without facing anti-war protesters. Johnson wanted to seek another four-year term as president. But his popularity kept dropping as the war continued. He understood that he no longer had the support of a majority of the people. In March, he announced that he would not be a candidate.
PRESIDENT LYNDON JOHNSON: “I shall not seek, and I will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as your President.”
One reason Johnson decided not to seek re-election was a senator from Minnesota: Eugene McCarthy.
SENATOR EUGENE MCCARTHY: “I intend to enter the Democratic primaries in four states: Wisconsin, Oregon, California, and Nebraska. The decision with reference to Massachusetts and also New Hampshire will be made within the next two or three weeks.”
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