Name: ______Period: ______Date: ______

Nationalism and Sectionalism CEPA

Goal

You must determine who hired Lawrence to kill the president, and write a report to Captain Hainsley, the Washington D.C. Chief of Police, that explains your reasoning.

Role

You are the best police detective in the country and have been brought in to solve the case of who killed Andrew Jackson.

Audience

Captain Hainsley, Washington D.C. Chief of Police

Situation

On January 30, 1835 Andrew Jackson almost became the first president of the United States to be assassinated. A young man named Richard Lawrence attempted to shoot Jackson at point-blank range outside the Capitol building in Washington D.C. Amazingly, both of the single-shot derringer pistols used by Lawrence misfired, and Jackson was unharmed.

For this activity, imagine:

  • That Lawrence’s guns fired properly and that Jackson was killed that day in 1835.
  • Lawrence was immediately apprehended and his rented rooms in Washington were searched by the police.
  • During the search, the police found evidence that strongly suggests that Lawrence was part of a conspiracy to kill the president; it seems obvious that he was hired by a very important national figure to assassinate Old Hickory.

You are the best police detective in the country and have been brought in to solve the case.

These are your suspects:

  • Nicolas Biddle, president of the National Bank
  • Senator John C. Calhoun, former Vice president/Senator
  • John Marshall, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
  • John Ross, a chief of the Cherokee Nation

Product Performance and Purpose

You are responsible to come up with motive and evidence that linkseach suspect to the crime of conspiring to murder Andrew Jackson. You must then give your expert opinion as to who had the strongest motive and support that opinion with evidence.

A thorough product will include an introductory paragraph which explains the background and important details of the case, a paragraph for each suspect that highlights the suspect’s relationship with Andrew Jackson, political leanings and motive for wanting Andrew Jackson dead.It must also include a concluding paragraph that notes who the primary suspect is and why.

Writing Tasks for your rough draft:

Task A–Introduction: Who was Andrew Jackson, and why did so many people have reason to be a part of a conspiracy to want him assassinated?

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Task B–Suspect Profiles: your response must include:

  • the suspect’s relationship with Andrew Jackson
  • the suspect’s political leanings (Would you classify the suspect as a nationalist or sectionalist if applicable. Be sure to qualify your answer with reasons.)
  • the suspect’s motive for wanting Andrew Jackson assassinated

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Task C - Conclusion: Given all of the evidence, who had the clearest reasons for wanting Andrew Jackson assassinated? Why?

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