Police and demonstrators clash near the Conrad Hilton Hotel during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. (Credit: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)

Fires burn behind a Buddhist monk crossing a bridge on the first day of the Tet Offensive

<p>Matthew Dallek is a professor at George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management and author of <em>Defenseless Under the Night: The Roosevelt Years and the Origins of Homeland Security</em>.</p>


Matthew Dallek

Matthew Dallek is a professor at George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management and author of Defenseless Under the Night: The Roosevelt Years and the Origins of Homeland Security.

Matthew Dallek Archives | HISTORY

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HISTORY

<p>America’s Founding Fathers decided that one elected civilian—the U.S. president—would lead the executive branch of the federal government, a governmental structure that has remained in place for more than 200 years.</p>


U.S. Presidents

<p>The Vietnam War pitted communist North Vietnam and the Viet Cong against South Vietnam and the United States. The war ended when U.S. forces withdrew in 1973 and Vietnam unified under Communist control two years later.</p>


Vietnam War

<p>The 1960s was one of the most tumultuous and divisive decades in world history. The era was marked by the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War and antiwar protests, countercultural movements, political assassinations and the emerging "generation gap."</p>


1960s

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<div class="p-rich_text_section">African Americans have played a central role in shaping U.S. history. From slavery and its abolition to the Great Migration, the civil rights movement and military, scientific, cultural and political achievements, explore key moments, milestones and figures in Black History.</div>
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Matthew Dallek ‑ Stories

RFK: What Would Have Happened if He Had Lived?

Was 1968 America’s Bloodiest Year in Politics?

What Happened When LBJ Announced He Wouldn’t Run

How the Army’s Cover‑Up Made the My Lai Massacre Even Worse

How the Tet Offensive Shocked Americans into Questioning if the Vietnam War Could be Won