The year 1968 was a vital turning point in American history—for good or for ill. It was a time of riots, assassinations, the retirement of one President and the election of another, public disenchantment with a war no one seemed able to end, widespread dissatisfaction with traditional politics and the emergence of deep divisions within the society of a proud and powerful nation. 

In Vietnam, a Communist offensive forced and agonizing reappraisal of the idea of American invincibility. In New Hampshire, Democratic voters repudiated a Democratic President. In Memphis and Los Angeles, bullets cut down Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. In Black ghettos across the country, violence exploded, and the name of the Black Panthers began to be known. On campuses from coast to coast, rebelling students closed down their schools. On the streets of Chicago, police and dissidents met in bloody confrontation, while the nation watched the TV screen in unbelieving horror.

The events of the year raised questions that must be answered, bared wounds that must be healed. This book recreates the events of this amazing year, placing them in historical perspective and exploring their meaning for our country‘s future.

From the dust jacket