The_Attempted_Assasination_of_Theodore_Roosevelt

10th Grade Literature 1 February 2010 The Attempted Assassination of TheodoreRoosevelt Theodore Roosevelt was born to a wealthy family on October 27th 1858.He was an unhealthy child suffering from asthma who stayed a t home studying natural history. Regardless of his physical weakness he lead a strenuous life. He later attended Harvard where he was active in boxing. after graduating from Harvard he wrote his first historical book The Naval War of 1812. After a few years of living in the Badlands Roosevelt returned to New York City where he gained fame for fighting against police corruption. He was effectively running the US naval Department when the Spanish American war broke out, he resigned his position as police commissioner and led a small regiment known as The Rough Riders. While fighting in this war he was nominated for the Medal of Honor After the war he returned to New York and was elected Governor; two years later he elected Vice President of the United States serving under President William McKinley, until McKinley was assassinated in 1901. Cooper2 John Flammang Schrank was born in Bavaria. He and his family emigrated to America when he was 3. His parents died soon after arriving in America, his uncle a new York tavern owner and landlord took him in and taught him how to operate the tavern. Upon their deaths Schrank,s aunt and uncle left him all their valuable properties, from which it was expected he could live a quiet and peaceful life. But Shrank was heartbroken now having lost not only his second set of parents but his first and only girlfriend Emily Ziegler, had died in the General Slocum disaster on New York’s East River. In 1912 the Republican Party was in a serious split between the conservative wing under President William Howard Taft and the liberal reform wing under ex-President Theodore Roosevelt. After a bitter confrontation at the e republican convention, Taft won renomination. Roosevelt led a group of his followers, who held a convention and nominated him for President on the ticket of the progressive Party, nicknamed the Bull Moose Party. Taft and his supporters attacked Roosevelt and accused him of being power hungry and seeking to break the two terms tradition that U.S. Presidents only served two terms. Since Roosevelt had succeeded the presidency following President McKinley’s assassination (1901) ,John Schrank had been having dreams where McKinley’s ghost came to him and accused Roosevelt of his murder. Since that day Schrank hated Roosevelt. When it became apparent that Roosevelt was seeking a third term as President, Schrank loathed him even more. Cooper 3 Then one night in 1912 McKinley’s ghost appeared to Shrank again begging him not to allow Roosevelt to become president again. Schrank left his home in New York determined to kill Roosevelt. He followed the candidate across the country. He got close enough in Chicago and Chattanooga to get in a shot but lost his nerve. On October 14th 1912 while campaigning in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Roosevelt had attended a dinner provided by the owner of the Hotel Gilpatrick. After finishing his meal Roosevelt was leaving the hotel to deliver a speech at the Milwaukee, Auditorium. There was a huge crowd of onlookers outside the hotel, and as Roosevelt was about to enter his waiting car Shrank leapt from the crowd and shot Roosevelt. Schrank was tackled by body guards, and Roosevelt seemingly uninjured tipped his hat to the crowd. Only after entering the car did Roosevelt fully realize he had been shot. As the body guards wrestled the handgun from Schrank the crowd began to chant Kill Him Kill Him. Roosevelt instructed his aide to address the crowd and tell him that he wished no harm to come to this man. Roosevelt refused medical attention and insisted on giving his ninety minute speech, where he proclaimed to the audience; 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. Cooper 4 After his speech his was carried to the hospital where surgeons’ determined that there was no need to remove the bullet.the bullet had struck his metal glass case and a folded 50 page copy of his speech. Both Taft and democratic Nominee Woodrow Wilson suspended their campaigns until Roosevelt had recovered and were able to resume his campaign. Roosevelt only made two more speeches during his campaign and lost to Woodrow Wilson. Schrank was found to be suffering from severe mental illness and was sentenced to the Central State Mental Hospital in Waupun, Wisconsin. he remained there for 29 years until he died from natural causes in 1943. Roosevelt had died at age 60 on January 6th 1919. Cooper 5 Works Cited