History Play

ilKary police office,anding outside the

cratic National

Activist ^David DetlingerTom HaydenAbbie HoffmanRichard Daley, Mayor of

ChicagoReporters 1 8 E 2Kennedy delegateMcCarthy delegateHumphrey delegatePolice officers 1 & 2Fred Turner, CBS technicianCrowd of demonstratorsAbraham Ribicoff, Democratic

Senator from ConnecticutDonald Peterson, delegate

from WisconsinWalter Cronkite, CBS anchorPrologue NarratorNarrators A-EEpilogue Narrator

Alt named characters were real people.

Words to KnowGestapo: the brutal eiite poiiceforce of Adoif Hitler's Germany.Yippiesian antiwar group tbatspecialized in street theater andprovocation ofthe police.

( MCHICA(36FORTY YEARS AGO, THE WORLD

WATCHED AS A DEMOCRATIC CONVENTIONCAME APART AT THE SEAMS

PROLOGUIEPrologue Narrator; It was a yearmarked by violence and frustra-tion. No issue divided the Americanpublic in 1968 tnore than U.S.military involvement in the VietnamWar. That summer, presidentialcampaigns were in full swing.President Lyndon B. Johnson hadannounced that he would not runfor re-election. Two popular anti-war candidates had challengedJohnson's Vice President, HubertH. Humphrey, for the Democraticnomination. But Senator Robert F.Kennedy was assassinated in June,

and Senator Eugene McCarthycould not win tbe support of tbeparty establishment. As the conven-tion approached in late August, itbecame clear that most party leadershad already decided on Humphrey.Furious antiwar activists fixed theirsights on the city of Chicago—wherethe convention would take place.

SCENIE INarrator A: As the conventionapproaches, antiwar activists dis-agree about whether to proceed withtheir long-planned demonstrations.Some are worried about possibleviolence—by police or even by other

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activists. Chicago authorities haverepeatedly refused to grant permitsfor marches. Activist leaders meet totry to reach an agreement.Activist: I don't see how we can doit. The city won't let us march orsleep in the parks. We're not goingto get thousands of people there forfive days without assuring them thatthey have a place to stay.David Dellinger; Let's not give upyet. We should keep filing lawsuitsdemanding our right to protest. Inlhe end, public opinion will makethe authorities give in.Tom Hayden: You're fooling your-self. Mayor Daley hates the veryexistence of protesters. We're nevergoing to get permits from him. Forthat very reason, I say we have to go.Activist: But what's the point?Kennedy's dead, and McCarthycan't win. The Republicanshave already nominatedRichard Nixon. If eithcfhe or Humphrey wins,the war will still go onHayden: Even so,we can't back down.We're not just protest-ing the war now.We have to fightfor the streets. We have tofight for our right to be there!Narrator B: The decision ismade—on to Chicago.

Narrator C: Chicago Mayor RichardDaley is a powerful Democratic poli'tician. No candidate can win Illinoiswithout his backing. Daley alsorules Chicago with a heavy hand.Although he privately questions thewar, he has no intention of letting abunch of outsiders make a mess ofhis city. On the eve of the conven-tion, he holds a press conference.Reporter 1: Mister Mayor, somepeopie say that there are thousands

of demonstrators coming to the cityto disrupt the convention. Do youforesee any problems?Richard Daley: Let me tell yousomething. Chicago's police forceis the finest in the world. Law andorder are going to be upheld. We'regoing to have the greatest conven-tion in the history of the DemocraticParty, and no one is going to takeover the streets of Chicago.Narrator D: Meanwhile, some5,000 young people have gatheredin Lincoln Park near downtownChicago. Prominent among themis Abbie Hoffman, one of the lead-ers of the Yippies. The classclown of the protestmovement, he

the Festival of Death the Democratsare holding. We are the secondAmerican Revolution.Narrator E: The Chicago police haveissued warnings that they will clearthe park at 11 p.m. But when thathour comes, no one is prepared fortheir show of force. Police officers inblue helmets charge into the crowd,hitting youths with their nightsticks.Some protesters taunt the policeby calling them "pigs," an insultthat only makes the cops angrier.Convention week has gotten off toan ugly start.

SCIENIE 3

loves to make outrageous statementsto the press.Reporter 2: Abbie, is it true thatyou threatened to put LSD [an illegaldrug] in the Chicago water system?Abbie Hoffman: Hey, we've justcome to Chicago to hold a Festival ofLife here in the park. As opposed to

Narrator A: On Monday morn-ing, the convention opens

at the InternationalAmphitheatre. The

hall is six milesfrom downtown.But Mayor Daleyis so concernedabout protestersthat he has had

it surrounded withbarbed-wire fencing.

Before choosing a nomi-nee, delegates must debate

the party platform. Most delegatesare staying downtown at the ConradHilton Hotel, Some are anxiousabout what is happening on thestreets outside.Kennedy delegate: Have you heardthe demonstrations? It sounds likechaos out there. Even up on the 10thfloor we can smell the teargas thecops are using on the protesters.McCarthy delegate: The kids areangry, and so am 1.Humphrey delegate: Baloney!A lot of these so-called protesterswould rather tear down the systemthan work within it. The worst ofthem, like that knucklehead AbbieHoffman, only want trouble.

Continued on next page -¥

JUNIOR SCHOUSTIC/MAY 12, 2008 1 ?

American History PlayyMcCarthy delegate: What we wantis for this party to take a standagainst the war. We're introducinga plank for the platform that saysVietnam is a mistake. If Humphreyhas any guts, let him come out andagree with us.Narrator B: The debate is long andheated. In the end, the McCarthyplank is voted down.

SCIENiE 4Narrator C: On the streets, themood is getting uglier. Each night,demonstrators and cops battle. OnWednesday, protesters hold a per-mitted rally in Grant Park, near theHilton. They have been told that theywon't be allowed to march from thepark to the Amphitheatre. But . . .Police Officer 1: We have the parkringed. Let them try to get away.Police Officer 2: Look, Sergeant,they're trying it anyway.Narrator 0: The police charge fero-ciously into the crowd. Quickly,

the park is filled with teargas andwounded demonstrators.Dellinger (to demonstrators): Don'tfight back! Let the world see what ishappening on the streets of Chicago.Narrator E: Some demonstratorsmake it across Michigan Avenue,where they begin to gather in frontof the Hilton, As night falls, thelights from TV and film camerasilluminate an eerie scene. CBS tech-nician Fred Turner is watching fromthe fifth floor of the hotel as he testsa tape recorder.Fred Turner [into the tape recorder):The cops are lined up three deep,marching right across MichiganAvenue. There are 2,000 or 3,000demonstrators lining up. Now thecops are moving in, and they arereally belting them. Sticks are flail-ing. People are lying on the ground.Oh, there are just piles of bodies onthe street. You can hear the screams.This thing is beginning to turn mystomach.

Narrator A: The police are hittingeveryone, including delegates andbystanders, demonstrators andreporters, young and elderly. Somany people are pressed up againstthe hotel that a plate-glass windowbreaks. People stagger into thehotel, blood streaming from headwounds. Seeing the lights and cam-eras, the demonstrators chant.Crowd: The whole world is watch-ing! The whole world is watching!

SCIENiE 5Narrator B: So far. Democrats atthe International Amphitheatre havebeen unaware of the violence. Butat about 9:30 p.m., the TV networksbegin to broadcast footage of theriot. Delegates rush to TV sets.Then Senator Abraham Ribicoff ofConnecticut takes the podium tomake a last-minute nomination ofantiwar Senator George McGovernof South Dakota.Abraham Ribicoff: The youth of

A TUMULTUOUS YEAR4-JANUARY 31In Vietnam, NorthVietnamese forces launchcoordinated attacks onU.S. and South Vietnamesepositions. The Tet Offensiveshocks many Americans,who begin to wonderwhether the war can be won.

^APRIL 4Martin Luther King Jr. isassassinated in Memphis,Tennessee. Riots breakout in many cities.

^MARCH 12Antiwar presidentialcandidate Eugene McCarthynearly defeats PresidentLyndon B. Johnson inthe New HampshireDemocratic primary.On the 3 ist, Johnsonwithdraws from the race.

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^APRIL 23Protesting the war andother issues, studentsat Columbia Universityin New York City seizecampus buildings, startinga weekiong sit-in.

America rally to the [principles]of a man like George McGovern,as they did to those of John F.Kennedy and Robert Kennedy. WithGeorge McGovern as President ofthe United States, we wouldn'thave to have Gestapo tactics in thestreets of Chicago.Narrator C: The convention floor

^JUNE 5Senator Robert F. Kennedyis slain by a gunmanon the night he winsthe Democratic Party's

erupts in anger. TV cameras catchDaley shouting in rage at Ribicoff.Ribtcoff: How hard it is to acceptthe truth when we know the prob-lems facing our nation.Narrator D: In the midst of thisturmoil, the convention turns toits climax: nominating HubertHumphrey. But as the roll of statesis called, one speaker after anothercondemns the chaos outside.Donald Peterson: Mr. Chairman,thousands of young people are beingbeaten in the streets of Chicago.I move that this convention beadjourned for two weeks and recon-vened in another city.Narrator E: A steady stream ofboos infuriates Daley, who finallystorms out of the hall. Inevitably,Humphrey is nominated. But his vic-tory has left a bitter taste. From hisbooth atop the convention floor, CBSanchor Waiter Cronkite sums up themood of many witnesses.Walter Cronkite: I want to just turnoff our cameras, pack up our micro-

phones and our typewriters, and getthe devil out of this town and leavethe Democrats to their agony.

Epilogue Narrator: The "agony'of Chicago continued to plagueDemocrats. Partly in disgust over theconvention, voters narrowly electedRepublican Richard M. Nixon inNovember. Abbie Hoffman, TomHayden, David Deliinger. and fourother protesters were tried for incit-ing a riot. [The "Chicago 7" werefirst convicted, then cleared onappeal.) "Nobody who was there orwatched it came out of it the same,"one journalist later said. "It was oneof those scarring events that brandedyou." But some good did result fromChicago. Furious at Daley and otherparty bosses' control of the nomi-nation process, voters demandedto have more direct participationthrough reformed primaries andcaucuses—and got it.

—Bryan Brown

OCTOBER 3 1President Johnsonannounces a halt to U.S.bombing of North Vietnam,hoping to give an electionboost to Humphrey.

AUGUST 28Hubert Humphrey winsthe Democratic Party'snomination for Presidentat a bitteriy dividedconvention in Chicago.

^OCTOBER 16Two African-Americanathletes protest racismin the U.S. by making"black power" salutesduring a victory ceremonyat the Dlympic Gamesin Mexico City.

^MOVEMBER 6Humphrey goes downto defeat as RepublicanRichard M. Nixon ts electedthe 37th ^vsldent ofthe United States.

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