Saturday, May 20, 2017

How Many Presidents of the United States Were the Targets of Assassins?

Fannie was posed this question in her American History class recently.  She knew of some of these incidents because so many movies helped to publicize them.  But she still wasn't sure of  the answer.

Luckily, we just added some new books to our Clearance and Used category here at AncestorStuff.com. Guess what Fannie found?  You guessed it!  A book that will help her with the history of our nation, and the answer to her class query.  They Shot The President: Ten True Stories, by George Sullivan, published by Scholastic Book Services, 1993.

They Shot The President, Ten True Stories by George Sullivan, www.ancestorstuff.com #100-Sullivan

This small, but mighty, publication reviews ten incidents where presidents have been the target of assassins.  While written for the younger generations, Sullivan take the time to review each murder attempt in a very easily understood text.  Clearly he has taken the time to explain the unfortunate historical events so that the reader gleans an understanding of what was happening in the nation.

Five days after the Civil War ended, Abraham Lincoln was shot while sitting in a theatre box watching a play.  Teddy Roosevelt was shot in the chest from an assassin just six feet away while he was delivering a speech.  The bullet was blocked by an eyeglass case and a folded speech in his breast pocket.  John Kennedy was shot while riding in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas.  This incident puzzled investigators who tried to put the Warren Report together. Ronald Reagan was shot by a young man who was trying to impress a young actress. In all, ten American Presidents were shot at. Four of these men died.  That's what Fannie found by reading this book.  But, she also learned a lot more about these incidents.

Each assassin took the time to plan their plot to kill.  Each assassin had their own reasons for wanting to kill a president.  Fannie learned about each presidential murder attempt. Happily, she was able to write a nice report for her class, and earned a gold star from her teacher.  

If you are not sure about which presidents were targeted by assassins, maybe you should take a gander at this book, too.  It's always good to review our American history.  And, you might be reminded of history that you might not have been aware of.  Truman, an assassin's target?  You bet!




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