1968 and 2008

Shauna Smith

During both 1968 and 2008 there were major changes in the country. Some of the major changes included the struggle for civil rights by African-Americans, presidential elections, and wars. These years are very important to the history of the United States and have gotten us to where Americans are today. Many leaders that will never be forgotten led us through these times of crisis and change, good and bad. There are many differences and similarities in 1968 and 2008 which makes them significant in elections, wars, and the civil rights movement.

The 1968 election was difficult and occurred in the middle of the Vietnam War. The candidates were Richard Nixon, Republican, Hubert Humphrey, Democrat, and George Wallace, American Independent. George Wallace with most of the votes in the south was popular mainly because of his racist beliefs. Humphrey had a couple of the northern states and Texas and Nixon had the rest of the country. After all votes were counted Nixon was elected president in 1968. In 2008 the candidates were John McCain, a Republican, and Barack Obama, a Democrat. This was a very close race but in the end Obama was elected the first African American president with the campaign slogan “Change we can believe in.” Although 1968 and 2008 are similar because both were election years, they are different in the fact that a Republican was elected in 1968 and an African-American Democrat was elected in 2008.

The Iraq and Vietnam Wars were viewed by many as two awful events. What initially started the Iraq War was when the US invaded Iraq in 2003. The United States is now winning the war that two years ago seemed lost. As for the Vietnam War no one is sure as to who actually won. Some say “everyone won…and lost,”- Earl H. Tilford, Jr. Professor of History Grove City College. Both wars were fought for democracy on the soil of other countries. Also, guerrilla warfare, a style of military fighting, was used by soldiers in both Vietnam and Iraq. The Vietnam War was one of the main things that made 1968 such a tumultuous year. In the Iraq War the government is trying not to make the same mistakes as in the Vietnam War by gradually releasing responsibility to create stability.

As the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama is doing many things to improve civil rights. Some of his changes include sponsoring the bill for special-needs evacuation plans, ending racial profiling as part of fighting for justice, re-introducing the Equal Rights Amendment and many other productive acts. The United States is now a more diverse nation with more equality than in 1968. 2008 is a progressive year in the sense there is much less racism and changes are underway to treat immigrants better. America has come a long way thanks to many civil rights activists. People such as Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy, Rosa Parks and many others are to whom citizens of the United States owe respect for the way America is today. Because of how they fought and stood up for themselves and others and risked their lives we can now live in a country that is civil.

Overall the years 1968 and 2008 had many ups and downs as well as similarities and differences. Between the wars, elections and the movements for civil rights, these years were critical in making the country what it is today. America will never forget those that led the country through such memorable times, the wars and the tragedies included. Americans hope to continue to learn from our mistakes and help our country grow. The last 40 years have been packed with so much sorrow, happiness, pain, and fulfillment but through it all America has endured.