General Andrew Jackson at the Battle of , New Orleans, January 8, 1815

Monday, March 14, 2011

The first assassination attempt


On January 30, 1835 Richard Lawrence attempts to assassinate President Andrew Jackson, at a Congressional funeral at the Capital building. This was the first documented presidential assassination attempt in history. Richard Lawrence was a painter that was currently unemployed; he believed that President Jackson was conspiring against him. Fortunately Richard Lawrence’s plan was unsuccessful due to the misfiring of the two pistols that he used. The president raised his cane at his attacker and escaped unharmed. Lawrence was found not guilty by reason of insanity and spent the rest of his life living in insane asylums.

Life and Death in the White House. (March 5, 2011) Retrieved from http://www.americanhistory.edu/

Image. Retrieved from http://www.americanhistory.edu/
Research done by Sandra H.