1968

After April 4: The 1968 Rebellions and the Unfinished Work of Civil Rights in DC

by Kyla Sommers

As Congressional controversy over DC's criminal law reforms shows, there remains significant unfinished business in the longstanding quest of DC residents to govern their city on their own terms. 

‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ is the Film to Help Us Understand 2021. Here’s Why

by John Beckman and Theo Zenou

Abbie Hoffman used his conspiracy trial as a guerrila theater stage, the peak of his career as an activist who used absurdity and wit to expose the hypocrisies of American society. 

Olympic Protester Tommie Smith Reclaims His Legacy in a New Documentary

"There’s a lot of people out there who lived the history I lived way back then. That history is not gone, and it will never die."

Aaron Sorkin’s Inane, Liberal History Lesson

by Charlotte Rosen

Aaron Sorkin's Chicago 7 film strips away the radical, anti-imperialist, anti-racist, anti-capitalist politics of the 1960s New Left to make the defendants heroic defenders of liberal democratic politics. 

MC5’s Wayne Kramer Files Suit Over ‘No on Prop. 23’ Ad for Using 1968 Band Footage

More bluntly, in keeping with the tone of MC5 songs like “Kick Out the Jams,” Kramer said, “Give me a break with your jive bulls—.”

Aaron Sorkin Sanitizes the Chicago 7

by Jeet Heer

According to Jeet Heer, "Sorkin takes many liberties with the facts, most of which are designed to make both the New Left and its conservative opponents more palatable to contemporary liberal viewers."

After Chicago 7 Trial, Mrs. Jean Fritz Helped Change the Course of History

A look back at the Chicago 7 conspiracy trial through the eyes of one of the jurors reveals an America that was less completely polarized than one might think. 

How Aaron Sorkin Preserved the Disorder of Chicago’s 1969 Courtroom ‘Circus’

by Richard Roeper

Aaron Sorkin discusses the work of creating authenticity for his Netflix series on the conspiracy trial that followed the protests at the 1968 Democratic convention. This was complicated, as he admits, by being only vaguely aware of the case before Steven Spielberg suggested making a film about it.   

'I Was Hit and Knocked to the Ground': The True Story of the Trial of the Chicago 7

“There are some things that I wouldn’t agree with how Sorkin has characterised certain figures in the trial, myself included. But the impact of the movie is there and I certainly endorse and support it," says Chicago 7 defendant and antiwar activist Rennie Davis.

The “Law and Order” Backlash Against Biden Was a Mirage

Donald Trump's "law and order" campaign message has failed to gain significant traction, which should put lazy comparisons to 1968 out to pasture. 

Will the Crisis Year of 2020 Turn Out Like 1968?

by James Thornton Harris

Trump’s attempt to use Nixon’s outdated playbook will fail. Our nation is younger, more diverse and better educated now. We know better. 

Riots Helped Elect Nixon in 1968. Can Trump Benefit From Fear and Loathing Too?

According to New York University historian Timothy Naftali, Trump's mimicry of Nixon's '68 campaign is "based upon a fundamental misreading of history."

Stop Comparing Today's Protests to 1968

by Thomas J. Sugrue

The who, the where and the why of 2020 cannot be boiled down to a reprise of 1968, nor can we predict political responses by catching a glimpse of the past through our rearview mirrors.

2020 Is Not 1968. It May Be Worse.

by Niall Ferguson

The Hoover Institution Senior Fellow suggests that the current political climate--a reelection campaign amid multiple national crises--has both similarities and differences from 1968. 

Trump v Nixon on Race: Why 2020 Isn't Quite 1968

According to Adam Serwer, 1868 is a more apt comparison.

Orangeburg Massacre to George Floyd: How Change Came to SC Protests for Racial Justice

In South Carolina, 2020 is markedly different from 1968. Here's how.

History, Right Now: Echoes of 1968, and Other American Years

Historian Thurston Clarke describes the year 2020 as "a convergence of the greatest catastrophes of the past 100 years or so, all hitting us at once."

Is This the Worst Year in Modern American History?

by James Fallows

All of this is bad, and it's getting worse.

Law And Order Won’t Help Trump Win Reelection

by Kevin M. Kruse

The call for “law and order” is a complaint that those tasked with upholding the law and maintaining order have failed at the job and need to be replaced.

You Can’t Be the ‘President of Law and Order’ if You Thrive on Chaos

by Jamelle Bouie

We should be aware of the past — we should understand the processes that produced our world — but it shouldn’t be a substitute for thinking. We are not them, and now is not then.