September 13, 2018–March 2, 2019
Briscoe Center for American History, Austin, Texas
Hall Gallery
1968 was one of the most tumultuous years in American history, “the year the dream died,” according to reporter Jules Witcover, “when the sensitivities and nerve endings of millions of Americans were assaulted almost beyond bearing.” The year’s riots, assassinations, resignations, and innovations stand out because of how they were documented. This exhibit, drawn from the Briscoe Center’s extensive news media collections—including Witcover’s papers—spoke to 1968’s themes and events. Selections were drawn from Eddie Adams’s Pulitzer prize-winning work in Vietnam, coverage of the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, the Chicago Democratic National Convention, Richard Nixon’s election, and the first lunar orbit by the crew of Apollo 8.
