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America In 1968: The Divisions That Linger 50 Years Later

Published January 4, 2018 at 11:20 AM CST
A Major fire in Newark, N.J., drew a large crowd of onlookers watching firemen pour water onto the burning building, April 6, 1968. City officials reported some firebomb incidents in response to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo)
A Major fire in Newark, N.J., drew a large crowd of onlookers watching firemen pour water onto the burning building, April 6, 1968. City officials reported some firebomb incidents in response to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo)

The partisan divide between Americans is one of the most significant in the last century, according to an October study by the Pew Research Center. But 50 years ago, divisions were arguably worse.

Here & Now‘s Robin Young looks at 1968 with historians Brian Balogh (@historyfellow) and Nathan Connolly (@ndbconnolly),  co-hosts of the podcast BackStory, which is produced at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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