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A federal grand jury indicts the Chicago Eight. April 9, 1969: The Chicago Eight are arraigned. August, 1969: Bobby Seale is arrested in connection with Connecticut charges of murder. September 24, 1969: The trial of the Chicago Eight begins in Chicago before Judge Julius Hoffman. October 29 to November 3, 1969
What did it all mean? Was the Chicago Eight Trial merely, as one commentator suggested, "a monumental non-event"? Was it, as others argue, an important battle for the hearts and minds of the American people? Or is it best seen as a symbol of the conflicts of values that characterized the late sixties?
These are some of the questions that surround one of the most unusual courtroom spectacles in American history, the 1969-70 trial of eight radicals accused of conspiring to incite a riot at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
- Prominent Voices Challenged The Legitimacy of The Anti-Riot Law.
- There Was A Clear Cultural Clash Between The Judge and The Defendants.
- The Judge Ordered Bobby Seale to Be Chained and Gagged in Court.
- Famous Writers and Performers Took The Witness Stand.
Three months before the Chicago Eight trial began, a group of prominent writers and thinkers published a letter to the editors of The New York Review of Booksarguing that the anti-riot law set a dangerous precedent. “The effect of this ‘anti-riot’ act is to subvert the first Amendmentguarantee of free assembly by equating organized political protes...
During the trial, yippies Hoffman and Rubin sometimes used unusual tactics to draw attention to their arguments. In one instance, they showed up to court wearing judicial robes to protest Judge Julius Hoffman’s decision to revoke Dellinger’s bail. When the judge demanded they remove their robes, they took them off and stomped on them. Underneath, t...
Froines argues Hoffman and Rubin’s robe incident “was basically a minor disruption,” and that “the main event in terms of disruption was Bobby Seale being chained and gagged.” Seale had chosen lawyer Charles Garry to represent him in court, and because Garry needed gallbladder surgery, he asked Judge Hoffman to postpone the trial. To Garry’s shock,...
During the trial, the defendants argued that the anti-war demonstrations had been peaceful, and that the violence was instigated by the police. To make this point, the defense called over 100 witnesses, many of whom had been in Chicago during the protests. At the time, a lot of prominent writers and performers were involved with the anti-war moveme...
- Becky Little
- 2 min
Nov 16, 2009 · The trial for eight antiwar activists charged with inciting violent demonstrations at the August 1968 Democratic National Convention opens in Chicago before Judge Julius Hoffman.
The trial of the Chicago Eight exemplified the state of turmoil that existed in the United States in 1968. Because the Chicago conspiracy trial opened with eight defendants, this group of radical leaders is sometimes referred to as the Chicago Eight.
People also ask
What did the Chicago Eight exemplify?
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Why is it called the Chicago Seven?
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Who took the witness stand at the Chicago Eight trial?
The federal government prosecuted eight anti-war leaders for their actions at the 1968 Democratic Party Convention (see August 28, 1968). Black Panther Party leader Bobby Seale’s case was severed from the others, changing the Chicago Eight to the Chicago Seven.
