1968 Democratic National Convention

In 1968, the Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago by the United States Democratic Party, for the purposes of choosing the Democratic nominee for the 1968 U.S. Presidential Election.

The decision was particularly difficult for the Democrats that year, due to the split in the party over the Vietnam War. On one side, Eugene McCarthey put forward a decidedly anti-war campaign, calling for the immediate withdrawal from the region. On the other side, Hubert H. Humphrey called for a policy more in line with President Lyndon Johnson's policy, which focused on making any reduction of force contigent on consessions extracted in the Paris Peace Talks.

Anti-war demonstrators protested throughout the convention, clashing with police all around the convention center (in the streets and at Grant Park). Mayor Richard J. Daley took a particularly hard line against the protestors, calling for whatever use of force necessary to subdue the crowds.

The Democrats eventually settled on Hubert H. Humphrey, but would lose the election to Richard M. Nixon.