The presidential election of 1972 was a great turning point in American politics. The Democratic Party initiated new internal reforms that allowed the primaries to decide on the candidate instead of the party machine, choosing someone who unequivacolly opposed the Vietnam war. Unfortunately, because the convention ran long, McGovern's speech was made after 1:00 A.M. so many voters did not hear it. This is a shame since it is one of the finest convention speeches of the 20th century.