Plot to Kill President Elect!

A plot is discovered to kill the President-Elect, how shocking and stunning to hear of the news that ne’er do wells can’t accept the results of a Constitutional, legal, certified and binding national election in a democratic representative republic.

Messages received by officials of the president’s transition team from his opposition are brutal, vulgar and menacing, making all those surrounding the man nervous that such zealous hatred existed in the United States to the point it could lead to murder of the yet to be sworn in Chief Executive.

Deep laying conspiracies to capture Washington, destroy all avenues leading to it from the North, East and West are also discovered, the intent to prevent the inauguration from even being able to take place at all.

Agitators plan to attack a train, kidnap and or shoot the President Elect, but the man himself remains resolutely calm.

If you’re reading this expecting a newly discovered plan to disrupt the inauguration set to take place Friday, January 20^th, 2017 in Washington D.C., I’m sorry to disappoint you, this is about the plot to murder Abraham Lincoln our 16^th President before he could take the oath of office Monday, March 4, 1861.

Dissent in the United States isn’t new my friends.

If you think this past national election cycle divided the country, and newly begat all-out vitriol between two political sides then you ain’t seen nothing yet and should immediately learn about the election of 1860 in which Abraham Lincoln, a northern Republican from Springfield, Illinois defeated southern Democrat John C. Breckinridge.

Yes, Lincoln did have to sneak into Washington D.C.

The primary high-tech and fastest transportation method of the day was railroads and their schedules were widely published.  Although AL’s train was unscheduled, station agents along the route from Springfield through Baltimore to Washington could have easily been persuaded to reveal the travelers schedule.  But they didn’t.

No, Lincoln didn’t sneak into Washington wearing a dress – he wore a simple business suit and bowler type hat stylish in the day, not the ‘stovepipe’ hat we most often associate with him.

A small contingent of private guards led by Allan Pinkerton accompanied the president.  Pinkerton devised a strategy of elaborate codes, passwords and telegraph messages (a form of early texting) to keep Mr. Lincolns movements and travel schedule as quiet as possible under the fierce and growing day by day opposition that vowed to kill him.

Anyone that’s ever seen a penny knows the rest of the story.  Lincoln arrived safely in Washington, was sworn in as president and set out to do his duty.

A number of people of course were opposed to his presidency all throughout and everything it represented and accomplished and they complained, protested and stirred up as much discord as they possibly could throughout his first term and prior to his re-election.

Among those vociferous dissenters, an Actor, actually attended President Lincoln’s inauguration.  His name was John Wilkes Booth.

Celebrate America!  Celebrate the United States of America.