True Stories of the Attacks on Ten U.S. Presidents
Here’s how some teachers are using this book in different subject areas:
Math
How many U.S. presidents have died in office? (See pages 84-85.) What percentage of presidents does that represent? How many presidents have been killed? What percentage of presidents does that represent?
Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as president on March 4, 1861; he died on April 15, 1865. For how many days was he president?
About 500,000 Americans died during the four years of the Civil War (page 9). About how many died each year? How many died each month? How often, on average, did someone die?
President Kennedy’s motorcade traveled at 11.2 miles an hour (page 94). At that rate, how far would the motorcade travel in two hours? How long would it take the motorcade to travel 56 miles?
Science
Presidents Garfield, McKinley and Kennedy all had autopsies (pages 49, 73, and 99). What are autopsies, and why are they done?
The bullet from Charles Guiteau’s gun lodged in President Garfield’s pancreas (page 49). What is the purpose of the pancreas, and why is an injury to the pancreas so serious?
In the weeks after his shooting, doctors worried that President Garfield might catch malaria (page 51). What is malaria? What causes it, and why was it so common in the nation’s capital in the 1900s? Why isn’t it common today?
Doctors did not X-ray President McKinley, even though an X-ray machine was available (page 68). Why do you think they didn’t use the X-ray? How does an X-ray machine work?
President McKinley eventually died of gangrene (page 73). What is gangrene?
President Reagan survived injuries that were probably more serious than President Garfield’s and President McKinley’s (page 123). One reason is that President Reagan was given antibiotics. What are antibiotics, and how do they work?
Language Arts
During the Civil War, newspaper reporters began to use the inverted pyramid style of writing; that is, they put the most important information at the top of the story, and put the least important information at the bottom. (Before then, reporters usually wrote chronological accounts of what had happened.) Based on the information in the book, write a newspaper story about President Lincoln’s death, using the inverted pyramid format with the most important information at the top. Remember that newspaper reporters write short paragraphs and identify the source of their information.
Radio news scripts usually start by summing up the story, then often describe what happened in a chronological order. Write a radio script reporting one of the attacks described in the book. Deliver it to the class.
Most of the information in this book came from newspapers of the day. Visit a public library, and ask the librarian to help you find a newspaper that was published on the day you were born. Write a story about what was happening that day.
Today we get our news from lots of sources--radio, TV, magazines, even the Internet. Take one story off the radio or the Internet, then notice how the other media report that same story. Which one tells the most? The least? Are there any differences in facts? If so, which one do you think is most accurate?
Social Studies
How did conditions in the United States influence each of the assassins?
How did each of the assassinations change the United States?
Read page 86 about the conditions of African-Americans in 1960. How does this compare to the conditions in 1860? How does this compare to today?
Thought-provokers
Why do you think people leave pennies on the grave of John Wilkes Booth? (page 30)
Why do you think conspiracy theories have surrounded the assassination of every president?
What reviewers are saying about The President Has Been Shot!
“This book about presidential assassinations and attempted assassinations shows what a good book can come from the deft arrangement of historical facts....” Philadelphia Inquirer.
“Jones brings a lively approach to a serious and interesting topic. From Andrew Jackson to Ronald Reagan, she charts a chronological course through four assassinations and the attempts on six of the other presidents' lives. She discusses the events leading to each attack and provides a detailed description of the incident and its consequences. Using a smooth style leavened with humor, she brings to life personalities and places. Although conspiracy theories associated with each of the murders are presented, readers are given enough room to draw their own conclusions. Even students familiar with presidential history are likely to learn something from this highly readable account. Use it to bring a different--and riveting--spin to Presidents’ Day commemorations. Black-and-white illustrations; research note.” Booklist.
“... Jones employs her extensive experience as a fiction writer to spin lively and cogent accounts of four presidential assassinations and seven other attacks on chief executives. Motivations and machinations of assassins and would-be assassins, attitudes of targeted victims toward personal safety, and changes in security procedures in the wake of each new attack are woven into a narrative that reads more like a plot-driven novel than a social studies discussion.” Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books.
“... The well-written text informs readers without resorting to sensationalism. The layout is attractive, with large margins and numerous black-and-white illustrations... Jones’s book is sure to draw general readers as well as report writers.” School Library Journal.
“Liberally studded with anecdotes and morsels of little-known trivia, Jones’s (The Believers) detailed accounts of assassination attempts on American presidents benefits from her insightful, accessible presentation. Going far beyond the facts as chronicled in standard history texts, the author delves into the lives and minds of the various assailants, probing their often warped reasoning and motives, revealing as well their devious plans and their fates after their arrests.... Period drawings and photos, some of them highly dramatic, add to this volume’s considerable appeal. Ages 8-13.” Publishers Weekly.
“Jones provides a factual and balanced account of each assignation and attempted assassination and reminds readers of the twenty year curse every twenty years the country had elected a president who later died in office. She brings us a look at the personal side of these tragedies through the words of the dying presidents, their friends and family.” Children's Literature
Return to Teaching Materials page
To stay up to date on the latest information about books and other media of interest to children and young adults, consider subscribing to The Children's Literature Comprehensive Database. For your free trial, click here.
If you’re interested in reviewing children's and young adult books, then send a resume and writing sample to marilyn@childrenslit.com.