—————- current events through a historical lens————————
Unfortunately, assassination attempts are not new to our nation. In a time of such hatred, when each side sees the other as evil, it is no surprise that an attempt was made towards Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump.
When discussing assassinations, most historians focus on the death of the four American presidents, but historically speaking, there have also been successful attempts on presidential candidates that have changed the course of history and unsuccessful ones that inspired the nation, yet did not help the candidate’s overall success.
The assassination that receives the most attention, because of the sense of loss of what could have been, is the death of Robert F. Kennedy. Journalist Evan Thomas wrote after Kennedy’s death, “RFK had a vision for America that included addressing poverty, civil rights, and ending the Vietnam War. His presidency could have transformed the political landscape of the 1970s, steering the country away from the cynicism and division that characterized that era.”
At least on the left, this seems to be the prevailing sediment, that Bobby could have changed the course of our nation. That, instead of the 1970s being one of the darker decades in American history, it could have been a bright spot. Kennedy ran in 1968, which is possibly one of the most divisive and controversial years.
There has been a great deal of attention on this election lately, as it was the last time a sitting president was not his party’s nominee.
Lyndon B. Johnson expected to run for reelection on the Democratic ticket, but after he was defeated by fellow Democrat Eugene McCarthy in the New Hampshire primary, he began to see the writing on the wall. Kennedy had vowed not to run against Johnson, but when McCarthy won, Kennedy entered the race and quickly became the frontrunner. Now having to face Mc-Carthy and Kennedy, Johnson bowed out of the race.
Kennedy had a great deal of support. Not only was he the brother of one of the most beloved presidents and possessed the same type of charisma as his brother, but he was also a true champion of the New Left, including those who felt marginalized. He was also completely against the war in Vietnam and promised to end the fighting.
June 4, 1968, was the important California primary, and by winning that contest, Kennedy really seemed to cement his frontrunner status. Yet, after speaking to a crowd of supporters the next day, he was shot by Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian who opposed Kennedy’s support of Israel. Coming off the death of his brother just five years earlier made this tragedy all the worse as many really felt a sense of hopelessness.
Four years later, another high-profile candidate who does not get as much attention today as his message was in stark contrast to Kennedy’s, was ex-Alabama Governor George Wallace.
Running for president for the third time in 1972, Wallace looked like he had at least a chance to win the Democratic nomination that year. Wallace who had famously said, “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever,” had softened his racial stance some, but still had support from blue-collar white voters who opposed issues like affirmative action and school bussing.
Although trailing frontrunner George Mc-Govern, Wallace did win the primaries in Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and North Carolina. While campaigning in Maryland on May 15, Wallace was shot by Arthur Bremer.
Like Trump, Wallace survived the attack; however, he was left permanently paralyzed from the waist down. While Wallace did win Maryland and Michigan the next day, ultimately his injuries pulled him from the race. He later spoke at the Democratic Convention where he supported McGovern.
The assassination attempt that most closely resembles Trump’s happened in 1912 with Teddy Roosevelt. Both Trump and T.R. had a similar machismo-style presidency and both had been past presidents removed by one term.
In September 1901, when President William McKinley was assassinated, T.R. assumed the presidency, and was reelected in 1904. Having served two terms, in 1908, he sat one out. However, upset with the direction the Republican Party was headed, T.R. decided to run in 1912. (It should be noted that the 22nd Amendment, which sets term limits for the office of the President, was not ratified until 1951). When the party retained the incumbent President William Howard Taft, T.R. ran on a third-party ticket called the Populist Party, better known as the ‘Bull Moose Party.’
About a month before the election, after dinner at a Milwaukee hotel, T.R. stood to give his speech when he was shot in the chest by tavern owner John Schrank. T.R. stumbled back as the crowd erupted in violence. Schrank was instantly captured.
As the crowd cried for a lynching, Roosevelt came back to the lectern. In shock, the crowd calmed as they saw T.R. still standing. It turned out the bullet had passed through his glasses case and a 50-page speech folded over and in his pocket. The bullet did pierce him but lodged in his chest muscle.
Roosevelt, not in too much pain, and understanding that if he was not coughing up blood his organs were not hit, stood in front of the crowd and said “Friends, I shall ask you to be as quiet as possible. I don’t know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot—but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose.” While blood began to soak his shirt, T.R. went on to give an almost 40-minute speech.
Only the future will tell how similar the Trump and Roosevelt assassination attempts are. While the T.R. attempt does add to his reputation as the toughest president in history, it did not garner him enough support to win the election. Instead, he split the Republican vote allowing a rare Democratic victory.
While I do believe the attempt on his life will boost Trump’s support, it remains to be seen if it gives him the boost he needs in November.
James Finck is a professor of American history at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. He can be reached at HistoricallySpeakingl 776@gmail.com.
