That incident led to the construction of an underground visitors’ entrance that opened in 2008.Įven with this legacy of violence and terrorism, the 6 January Capitol assault stands out. Badly wounded, Weston ended up in Senator Tom DeLay’s office where Senator Bill Frist, a heart surgeon, saved his life. Two were killed, later becoming the first private citizens to lie in honor in the Rotunda. The metal detector chimed, but Capitol police were unable to react before Weston opened fire. In 1998, Russell Eugene Weston entered the East front entrance armed with a. Individuals have also attacked the Capitol for no known reason. No one was hurt in any of these incidents.
The women issued a warning minutes before the device detonated in the Capitol’s north wing. The most destructive was the November 1983 bombing by the May 19 th (M19) Communist Organization, the only ever all-female terrorist group. In March 1971, the Weather Underground set off a bomb in a bathroom on the Senate side. In 1915, former Harvard professor Erich Muenter planted three sticks of dynamite in a Senate reception room. There have been numerous bombings of the US Capitol. Congress considered erecting bullet-proof glass in the galleries but decided against it. Alvin Bentley (R-Michigan) who took a bullet in the chest. They wounded five Congressmen, including Rep.
In March 1954, four Puerto Rican nationalists entered the House visitor’s gallery armed with handguns, indiscriminately shot at Members and unfurled a Puerto Rican flag. Brooks was convicted of assault and fined but not jailed.Īmidst this periodic mayhem, terrorist attacks for political motives have been rarer and more recent. The most famous antebellum incident was in 1856, when Representative Preston Brooks (D-South Carolina) beat Senator Charles Sumner (R-Massachusetts) with a gold-headed walking cane, soaking the Senate floor in blood. In 1835, Andrew Jackson was nearly assassinated emerging from the House chamber. Researching her book Field of Blood, Yale historian Joanne Freeman found 70 examples of violence between 18. Members routinely carried firearms and knives into the chamber. Especially before the US Civil War, the Capitol building was a chaotic place, with pushing, shoving, brawls, and challenges to duels between Southerners and Northerners. Seldom do attacks on the citadel of democracy rise to the level of terrorism-which the 6 January assault most certainly did.Ĭongressmen channel the anger of those they represent.
Since the British torching of the building during the War of 1812, there has been viciousness between Members, assassination attempts, and criminal attacks by individuals. Capitol is more common than is generally known.
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