When Civil Rights, the Vietnam War, and a Presidential Election Converged on Notre Dame
In One Week in America, Patrick Parr guides readers through several earth-shattering events and their impact on the 1968 Notre Dame Literary Festival.
One Week in America: The 1968 Notre Dame Literary Festival and a Changing Nation
Patrick Parr
March 2021
1968 was a turbulent year in the United States. The Cold War and the nuclear arms race were ever-present, the hard battle of civil rights activists against racism continued, and opposition to the war in Vietnam reached far and wide.
In
One Week in America, historical writer Patrick Parr examines what may be the most turbulent week of that turbulent year, coinciding with the University of Notre Dame literary festival. The inherently political – or deliberately politicized – elements of the festival were intensified by concurrent national events, in particular the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and the subsequent rioting, looting, and killing that engulfed many urban locales, and President Lyndon B. Johnson’s (LBJ) announcement that he would not seek re-election. Parr brings forth the events and the on-the-spot reactions of attendees and guests at the festival, such as Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut addressing an audience shortly after learning of King’s assassination.