Final answer:
The year 1968 marked a significant realigning event with the presidential election of Richard Nixon signaling a rupture of the existing New Deal coalition and a shift in voter demographics, leading to the emergent Sixth Party System and the redefinition of political allegiances in the United States.
Step-by-step explanation:
The year 1968 is frequently referenced as a significant realigning event in American history. This tumultuous period encapsulated a series of protests, political shifts, and social upheavals that transformed the political landscape. Notably, the presidential election of 1968 is often cited as a critical turning point, reflecting deep divisions within the Democratic Party and leading to a restructuring of political affiliations. Richard Nixon's victory heralded a shift in voter patterns, particularly the movement of southern white voters and northern working-class individuals towards the Republican Party, a trend that contributed to the development of the Sixth Party System.
The Presidential election served as a realignment for the New Deal coalition, which had been influential since the 1930s, fracturing over contentious issues such as the Vietnam War and civil rights movement. Nixon's election also was a point of convergence where different societal anxieties about civil rights, women's rights, and the antiwar sentiment found a political echo, leading to new coalitions. The impacts of this election and realignment continue to influence American politics, as the following decades saw ongoing changes in voter demographics and party alliances, including increasing numbers of Latino and Asian immigrants who tended to vote Democrat.