The Chicago 8

In 1968, America was divided over the Vietnam War. Due to the growing anti-war movement, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced that he would not run for re-election. Democrat Robert Kennedy, the Presidential hopeful, was assassinated that summer. The 1968 Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago where leaders of the anti-war movement planned a protest. During the protest, Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley used police force to brutally quell the rally, and as a result, rioting broke out in the streets. One person was killed, hundreds were injured and thousands were arrested. One year later, newly elected President Richard Nixon gave the green light to prosecute eight men who were accused of conspiracy to incite a riot. The FBI brought them to Chicago, where they stood trial. They were known thereafter as The Chicago 8.