Bullets That Changed America

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.

Peter Zablocki is a historian and author of numerous books on historical topics. His articles have also been featured in popular history magazines. He lives in Denville, New Jersey.

Peter Zablocki
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 198
Bibliographic Info: 16 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2022
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8946-3
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4732-6
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi

Preface 1

 1. An Unfortunate Encounter, May 28, 1754 5

 2. “Back to Your Mark, Sir!” May 30, 1806 15

 3. Death of a Prophet, October 5, 1813 29

 4. They Came in the Night, May 28, 1856 41

 5. “Halt, Who Goes There?” May 2, 1863 52

 6. A “Square” Fight, May 3, 1886 65

 7. Black Coyote’s Rifle, December 29, 1890 78

 8. Wilson’s Wilson Problem, February 22, 1913 91

 9. An Afternoon Holdup, April 15, 1920 105

10. The Unfortunate Bonus, July 28, 1932 117

11. Machine Gun Challenge to Uncle Sam, June 17, 1933 130

12. A Catalyst for Change, February 18, 1965 144

13. Sins of Our Fathers, March 16, 1968 157

Epilogue 168

Chapter Notes 171

Bibliography 181

Index 185