1968: The Global Revolutions

In contrast to the anarchy in Chicago, the Republican convention in Miami Beach was a relatively staid affair. Richard M. Nixon was nominated on the first ballot by an overwhelming majority. Presenting himself as the antidote to the turmoil of the previous years, Nixon’s general election strategy played on Southern white voters’ fears of racial integration, and dissatisfaction with the stalemate in Vietnam. In November, he would narrowly defeat Humphrey for the presidency. Thomas Whiteside, a well-known reporter, would write about the 1968 political conventions for the Columbia Journalism Review. Later, his exposes about the toxic effects of Agent Orange would lead to a Senate investigation.