![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() In 1966, Bobby Seale had cofounded the Black Panther Party to form a political organization that protected African Americans from police brutality and other forms of injustice in the country. So the Vietnam War was further disrupting a nation that was already grieving huge losses. had also met an unfortunate fate, in 19, respectively. Civil rights leaders like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. In order to understand the magnitude of political activism in 1960s America, it’s imperative to grasp the historical context of the times. Phillips/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images Activists forming a circle around the statue of Union General John A. The Chicago Seven And 1960s Antiwar ActivismĬharles H. And not all the defendants had a happy ending. But Seale would eventually be tried separately from his fellow activists, leaving them as the Chicago Seven.Īs Aaron Sorkin’s Netflix movie The Trial of the Chicago 7 shows, this trial was quite a dramatic one. Originally known as the Chicago Eight, the defendants hit with conspiracy charges included famous figures like Black Panther Party cofounder Bobby Seale, Abbie Hoffman, and Tom Hayden. The ensuing demonstrations at the International Amphitheater quickly turned violent - and eight activist figureheads were later blamed. But many activists demanded that this candidate should be antiwar - and protested the convention in Chicago to make their voices heard. With President Lyndon Johnson deciding not to run for re-election, the Democratic Party was trying to select a new candidate at the convention. So there was increasing pressure on the establishment to calm this outrage. In the midst of the Vietnam War, a generation of youths rose up in protest against America’s involvement in the overseas battle. The riot in question took place outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention - and it happened during an incredibly tense time in American history. The historic trial of the Chicago Seven saw prominent antiwar activists charged with conspiracy to incite a riot while crossing state lines. Hulton Archive/Getty Images The original Chicago Eight: Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, Bobby Seale, Lee Weiner, John Froines, and David Dellinger. ![]()
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