Minnesota History

Resources and links with more information about Eugene McCarthy's life, and the 1968 presidential campaign.
Audio from the McCarthy archive.
Memories of Pearl Harbor
It was 65 years ago that the bombs fell. Japanese war planes attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, killing 2,400 people and drawing the United States into World War II. A special two-hour Midday features Minnesotans' memories of the attack and the ensuing war, plus excerpts from the American RadioWorks documentary "Days of Infamy."
McCarthy's tapes and documents reside at U of M library
More than 500 boxes of audio recordings, films, letters, photographs, videotapes and written records make up the Eugene McCarthy collection at the University of Minnesota's Elmer L. Andersen Library.
Dorothy McIntyre, who helped open up athletics to young women, says Minnesota had a previous golden age for women in sports that ended in l942. And Normandale Community College instructor Chuck Chalberg discusses how he combines history and theater.
After '68
Although Eugene McCarthy did not win the Democratic Party nomination for president in 1968, author Mark Kurlansky never viewed McCarthy as a failure.
The Chicago convention -- a loss amid chaos
The Democratic convention opened in Chicago under oppressive conditions. Tension was building between police and the thousands of anti-war protesters who had gathered in the city.
A question of conviction
The assassination of Robert Kennedy in June 1968 pushed an already divided Democratic Party into further disarray. For Eugene McCarthy, it was the darkest period of the campaign.
Humphrey runs; assassinations shock the nation
The next shocking event came four days later on April 4, when Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed outside a Memphis motel.
RFK in; LBJ out
McCarthy's strong finish in the New Hampshire primary showed the vulnerability of the incumbent president. It also convinced another war opponent to enter the race.