1964 Democratic National Convention

A Competing Contest for Legitimacy & Legacy

Abstract

My paper attempts to demonstrate the significance of the 1964 Democratic National Convention in solidifying the Kennedy legacy and in symbolizing a political “passing of the torch” from John F. Kennedy to Robert F. Kennedy, the next in line in the Kennedy political legacy. This event acted as a critical turning point in American thought following the assassination, in which Americans decided to honor JFK through attributing a legacy and mystique to his aura, all displayed publicly at the convention. Thus, the 1964 Democratic National Convention remains a paramount event in that it acted as a decisive political crossroads, celebrating both the past through a sobering remembrance of the late John F. Kennedy, and paving the way for the future through a public celebration of Robert F. Kennedy. An exploration of the 1964 Democratic National Convention can both more narrowly demonstrate JFK’s formidable legacy, and pinpoint a critical historical segway in the transfer of political power from one Kennedy to the next. Through all of this can we see the importance of the 1964 Democratic National Convention as a critical event in the aftermath of the Kennedy Assassination.