Description
Book Synopsis One gunshot by a single person could be powerful enough to move a whole nation. Well known are the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, William McKinley, and Martin Luther King Jr., and their long-lasting consequences. History, however, is littered with lesser-known gunshots that have had equally echoing outcomes. Some were small mistakes or misjudgments, others intentional acts that sparked events documented in our history textbooks.
A single bullet serves as the catalyst for each of the stories in this book. We may or may not know who fired it but we know each bullet''s end point and the effects it had on America''s trajectory: the wars, social movements, and political and economic paradigm shifts. The names of those involved may not to many be recognizable but the events their acts precipitated are etched in American history.
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Preface
- 1. An Unfortunate Encounter, May 28, 1754
- 2. "Back to Your Mark, Sir!" May 30, 1806
- 3. Death of a Prophet, October 5, 1813
- 4. They Came in the Night, May 28, 1856
- 5. "Halt, Who Goes There?" May 2, 1863
- 6. A "Square" Fight, May 3, 1886
- 7. Black Coyote's Rifle, December 29, 1890
- 8. Wilson's Wilson Problem, February 22, 1913
- 9. An Afternoon Holdup, April 15, 1920
- 10. The Unfortunate Bonus, July 28, 1932
- 11. Machine Gun Challenge to Uncle Sam, June 17, 1933
- 12. A Catalyst for Change, February 18, 1965
- 13. Sins of Our Fathers, March 16, 1968
- Epilogue
- Chapter Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
