The Contest [electronic resource] : The 1968 Election and the War for America's Soul / Michael Schumacher.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Schumacher, Michael, 1950- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States--Politics and government--1963-1969.

United States.

Presidents--United States--Election--1968.

Presidents.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (1 PDF (xix, 540 pages, 24 unnumbered pages of plates) :) illustrations

Place of Publication:

Minneapolis, Minnesota : University of Minnesota Press, [2018]

Summary:

A dramatic, deeply informed account of one of the most consequential elections and periods in American history, 1968--rife with riots, assassinations, anti-Vietnam War protests, and realpolitik--was one of the most tumultuous years in the twentieth century, culminating in one of the most consequential presidential elections in American history. The Contest tells the story of that contentious election and that remarkable year. Bringing a fresh perspective to events that still resonate half a century later, this book is especially timely, giving us the long view of a turning point in American culture and politics. Author Michael Schumacher sets the stage with a deep look at the people with important roles in the unfolding drama: Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert F. Kennedy, Eugene McCarthy, George Wallace, Richard Nixon, and especially Hubert H. Humphrey, whose papers and journals afford surprising new insights. Following these politicians in the lead-up to the primaries, through the chaotic conventions, and down the home stretch to the general election, The Contest combines biographical and historical details to create a narrative as intimate in human detail as it is momentous in scope and significance. An election year when the competing forces of law and order and social justice were on the ballot, the Vietnam War divided the country, and the liberal regime begun with Franklin D. Roosevelt was on the defensive, 1968 marked a profound shift in the nation's culture and sense of itself. Thorough in its research and spellbinding in the telling, Schumacher's book brings sharp focus to that year and its lessons for our current critical moment in American politics.

Contents:

Introduction. A war, wise men, and a speech that changed history

book one. The candidates

Hubert Humphrey the long road to contention

Eugene McCarthy making of a grassroots candidacy

Richard Nixon reboot

George Wallace politics of race

Robert Kennedy shadows of indecision

book two. The primaries

New Hampshire victorious losers

Wisconsin a reward for the challenger

Torrents of rage and sorrow

Indiana killing floor

Nebraska expectations, high and low

Oregon McCarthy's big stand

California a time to be born, a time to die

Summer doldrums

book three. The conventions

Miami "let's win this one for Ike"

Resistance

Chicago preserving disorder

book four. The election

The final lap

America votes.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 518-524) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-4529-5732-0

OCLC:

1043948720