This book offers an analysis of every American presidential assassination and various attempted assassinations, examining the events surrounding each event and the people involved. The assassinations and attempted assassinations of American presidents were pivotal events that reverberated throughout the nation, even in cases where the murder was botched. The individuals behind each plot are often fascinating studies in obsession and distorted perception of reality—like President James Garfield's assassin, who spent an extra dollar on the gun he chose for the act simply because it would look better in a museum display after the event. For the first time under one cover, this text offers a concise study of every presidential assassination, attempt, and rumor. Each chapter focuses on a single American assassination, providing an analysis of the president, the assassin, and the events that shaped their arrival at that place in time. The chapter then describes the assassination or attempt itself and the long-term impacts of the crime. Accounts of the more contemporary incidents involving Presidents John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush especially demonstrate the evolution of the monumental task of protecting the U.S. president in a free and open society.

New York Times bestselling author of The Wordy Shipmates and contributor to NPR’s This American Life Sarah Vowell embarks on a road trip to sites of political violence, from Washington DC to Alaska, to better understand our nation’s ever-evolving political system and history. Sarah Vowell exposes the glorious conundrums of American history and culture with wit, probity, and an irreverent sense of humor. With Assassination Vacation, she takes us on a road trip like no other—a journey to the pit stops of American political murder and through the myriad ways they have been used for fun and profit, for political and cultural advantage. From Buffalo to Alaska, Washington to the Dry Tortugas, Vowell visits locations immortalized and influenced by the spilling of politically important blood, reporting as she goes with her trademark blend of wisecracking humor, remarkable honesty, and thought-provoking criticism. We learn about the jinx that was Robert Todd Lincoln (present at the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley) and witness the politicking that went into the making of the Lincoln Memorial. The resulting narrative is much more than an entertaining and informative travelogue—it is the disturbing and fascinating story of how American death has been manipulated by popular culture, including literature, architecture, sculpture, and—the author’s favorite—historical tourism. Though the themes of loss and violence are explored and we make detours to see how the Republican Party became the Republican Party, there are all kinds of lighter diversions along the way into the lives of the three presidents and their assassins, including mummies, show tunes, mean-spirited totem poles, and a nineteenth-century biblical sex cult.

Since the birth of our nation and the election of the first president, groups of organized plotters or individuals have been determined to assassinate the chief executive. From the Founding Fathers to the Great Depression, three presidents have been assassinated: Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, and William McKinley. However, unknown to the general public, almost all presidents have been threatened, put in danger, or survived "near lethal approaches" during their terms. Plotting to Kill the President reveals the numerous, previously untold incidents when assassins, plotters, and individuals have threatened the lives of American presidents, from George Washington to Herbert Hoover. Mel Ayton has uncovered these episodes, including an attempt to assassinate President Hayes during his inauguration ceremony, an attempt to shoot Benjamin Harrison on the streets of Washington, an assassination attempt on President Roosevelt at the White House, and many other incidents that have never been reported or have been covered up. Ayton also recounts the stories of Secret Service agents and bodyguards from each administration who put their lives in danger to protect the commander in chief. Plotting to Kill the President demonstrates the unsettling truth that even while the nation sleeps, those who would kill the president are often hard at work devising new schemes.

Over the course of American history, there have been only four presidents who have been forced to sacrifice their lives for their country at the hands of an assassin. These great men have not been forgotten, and their stories are told here in fascinating detail for history lovers of all ages. But those four presidents are not the only ones who have been close to death in the line of duty to the American people. This book, A Children's Illustrated History of Presidential Assassination, delves into all of the major assassination attempts throughout the history of the United States, in vivid detail, illustrated by Erin Kubinek.

Killing The Presidents: Presidential Assassinations & Assassination Attempts Killing The Presidents offers a fascinating look at the Presidents who lost their lives, the motives and mental states of the assassins, and the reactions of the public to the shootings. Among the characters you will meet are: Charles Julius Guiteau, the man who shot James Garfield. He told authorities "I was in my bed ... and I was thinking over the political situation, and the idea flashed through my brain that if the President was out of the way everything would go better..." And later, during his trial, he added, "I presume I shall live to be President. Some people think I am as a good man as the President (Chester A. Arthur) now." John Schrank, the man who shot Theodore Roosevelt, said "In a dream I saw President McKinley sit up in his coffin pointing at a man in a monk's attire in whom I recognized Theodore Roosevelt. The dead President said-This is my murderer-avenge my death." And, so he shot, and wounded the Bull Moose Candidate. John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Lincoln, wrote in his diary just a few nights before his death, "I have to great a soul to die like a criminal..." The stories are amazing. The similarities between each of the assassinations make you sit up and think. Most of the assassins discovered the President's itinerary by reading the newspaper. Leon Czolgosz, the assassin of President McKinley, told authorities, "Eight days ago, while I was in Chicago, I read in a Chicago newspaper of President McKinley's visit to the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo. That day I bought a ticket and got here with the determination to do something, but I did not know just what. I thought of shooting the President..." This is the story of the assassinations, told as much as possible in the words of the witnesses, the assassins, and the attempted assassins The book is short, just 108 pages, easy to read, and will leave you wanting to investigate, and learn more about this dark area of American history. Some of the details are quite graphic, such as Surgeon Charles Taft describing the how they carried the dying Abraham Lincoln to Petersen House - "blood [was] dripping from the wound, faster and faster" as they walked. And, throughout the night, he held the dying President's head so blood and brain tissue could continue to ooze out, and prevent clotting. Other parts will make you laugh. Giuseppe Zangara, the man who attempted to kill Franklin Roosevelt was so short he had to stand on a folding chair to get a good look at the President elect, and then he testified he "decided to kill him and make him suffer since...since my stomach hurt." Don't wait another minute. Order your copy of this book today, and read the true story of the Presidential assassins! * You can read it instantly on your Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or on your laptop using the Kindle for PC App. * Scroll up to the top and read a sample, or better yet, order your copy today, and start selling on eBay in less than an hour.

Throughout American history, Presidents and Presidential candidates have faced countless assassination threats and attempts on their lives. These threats have extended not only to sitting Presidents and candidates but also to Presidents-elect and former Presidents. Assassinations, Threats, and the American Presidency: From Andrew Jackson to Barack Obama walks through Presidential history, looking at the countless assassination threats and attempts that have occurred throughout history. Historian Ronald L. Feinman discusses the Presidencies of sixteen Presidents, as well as three important candidates and five living Presidents today, and how they were directly threatened with assassination, ranging from the first known threat to Andrew Jackson in 1833, to threats to Barack Obama in late 2014. All nineteen of these Presidents and candidates were threatened with assassination—six being killed, three wounded, and ten unhurt. Additionally, he reveals information about some failed attempts, which, had they been successful, could have resulted in fifteen different men who would have become President of the United States. Which ones would have been able to fill the responsibilities? Which ones would have been disastrous in the Oval Office? Assassination attempts, both successful and failures have been part of our political culture for over 180 years, and the problem of Presidential security, safety and protection remains a serious problem today. With the President being faced with countless death threats, the Secret Service and FBI are forced to employ all kinds of technological methods to protect our Chief Executive and his family, as well as other top officials in the line of succession. Feinman brings to light how these agencies have grown, both technologically and physically, to counter these attacks. He, also, sheds light on how these threats to our Presidency have devastated, changed, and grown our United States into what it is today.

William Manchester's epic and definitive account of President John F. Kennedy's assassination--now restored to print in a new paperback edition. As the world still reeled from the tragic and historic events of November 22, 1963, William Manchester set out, at the request of the Kennedy family, to create a detailed, authoritative record of the days immediately preceding and following President John F. Kennedy's death. Through hundreds of interviews, abundant travel and firsthand observation, and with unique access to the proceedings of the Warren Commission, Manchester conducted an exhaustive historical investigation, accumulating forty-five volumes of documents, exhibits, and transcribed tapes. His ultimate objective -- to set down as a whole the national and personal tragedy that was JFK's assassination -- is brilliantly achieved in this galvanizing narrative, a book universally acclaimed as a landmark work of modern history.