@thehistorypaige: On October 29, 1969, something horrifying happened inside a federal courtroom in Chicago. A year earlier, thousands of demonstrators had descended on Chicago during the 1968 Democratic National Convention to protest the Vietnam War. Violent clashes erupted between protesters and police, with officers beating demonstrators in scenes broadcast across the country. Eight men were subsequently charged with conspiring to cross state lines to incite riots. They became known as the Chicago Eight. Among them were prominent antiwar activists Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, and David Dellinger, along with John Froines, Lee Weiner, and Bobby Seale, co-founder of the Black Panther Party. Seale had only briefly visited Chicago during the convention and hadn’t even met some of his alleged co-conspirators. When their trial began in September 1969, Seale’s chosen attorney was hospitalized. He requested a postponement. Judge Julius Hoffman refused. He demanded the right to represent himself. The judge refused that, too. As Seale continued protesting what he believed was a violation of his constitutional rights, Hoffman ordered U.S. marshals to physically restrain him. His arms and legs were bound to a chair. His mouth was gagged. At one point, the gag was so tight it began choking him. And the trial continued. For days, Seale remained restrained in a federal courtroom, struggling to make himself heard. On November 5, the judge finally declared a mistrial in Seale’s case, separating him from the other defendants. The Chicago Eight became the Chicago Seven. Seale was sentenced to four years in prison for contempt of court. His contempt convictions were later overturned. The courtroom illustrations in this reel were drawn by artists who witnessed these proceedings. This happened 57 years ago. And it’s a chapter of our history that deserves to be remembered. Share this story. Save it. And follow for more history you can still feel. #BobbySeale #ChicagoSeven #ChicagoHistory #USHistory #CivilRightsHistory

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Thursday 29 October 2026 20:44:45 GMT