The individual assassinated in 1968, leading to a wave of civil unrest in the United States, was Robert F. Kennedy. A prominent political figure and Senator from New York, Kennedy was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination at the time of his assassination on June 5, 1968. His death, during a period of intense social upheaval, sparked widespread outrage and mourning. It deepened existing divisions in the country, particularly regarding civil rights and the Vietnam War, and galvanized various social movements during the tumultuous 1960s.