Assassination+attempt+on+Ronald+Reagan

= Assassination Attempt of Ronald Reagan =



Overview
On March 30, 1981, John Warnock Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan. Reagan was only 69 days into his presidency. He was shot on a thirty-foot walk from the side entrance of the Washington DC Hilton on the way to his car. Reagan had just finished giving a speech to AFL-CIO union delegates about his economic recovery plan. The surprising fact about the attempt was that Hinckley’s motive was not politically motivated. Instead, he was motivated by his “love” for Jodi Foster.

Critical Point
Hinckley was born on May 29, 1955. In 1976 he dropped out of college to move to Los Angeles in hopes of becoming a song writer. It was in LA that Hinckley saw the movie “Taxi Driver.” In the movie Robert DeNiro’s character falls in love with a 12-year-old prostitute named Iris, played by Jodie Foster, and tries to win her love by to killing her pimp. Hinckley used this movie to frame his attempt to win Foster’s love. His original plan was to kill President Carter, but after that plan fell through, and Carter left office, he re-worked to plan for Reagan. On March 30, 1981, Hinckley fired six shots at the president, one of which ricocheted off the president’s limo and lodged itself in Reagan lung. Reagan was hospitalized at George Washington University Hospital where he made a full recovery.

Conclusion
The reason the attempt on Reagan’s life is so important is because of Hinckley’s motive. Unlike previous assassinations, Hinckley was not politically motivated. In his trail he was found not guilty on the basis of insanity. The attempt also shows the vulnerability of the president. Even when surrounded by secret service agents, one man was able to get close enough to shoot the president. Reagan himself, before the attempt, pounded the idea of a man being able to get close enough to shoot him. He wrote, “I thought that even with all the Secret Service protection we now had, it was probably still possible for someone who had enough determination to get close enough to a president to shoot him. ”

(2009-10.1.2.J) References [] []