Enlightenment tradition than the first of American historical epics. Historian Peter C. Messer, in 2002, examined the transition in Ramsay's republican perspective from his History of the American Revolution (1789) to his more conservative History of the United States (1816–17). His works went from a call for active citizens to reform and improve societal institutions to a warning of the dangers of an overzealous population and the need to preserve existing institutions. In his discussion of the treatment of Indians and African American slaves he became less critical of whites and changed to reflect the views of society at large. Ramsay's increasing involvement in South Carolina's economic and political institutions and the need for stability that defined early-19th-century nationalism influenced this transformation. Assassination Ramsay was appointed by a court to examine one William Linnen, a tailor known for serial litigation and nuisance suits, after Linnen had attempted to murder his attorney. Ramsay reported to the court that Linnen was "deranged" and that it would be "dangerous to let him go at large." After apparently regaining his sanity, Linnen was released; though he threatened Ramsay, the latter did not take the threat seriously. On May 6, 1815, at 1 p.m., Ramsay passed Linnen on Broad Street in Charleston. Linnen took out a "horseman's pistol" that he had concealed in a handkerchief, and shot Ramsay twice, in the back and hip. According to a contemporary source: Ramsay died at 7 a.m. on May 8, 1815. He was buried at the Circular Congregational Church in Charleston. See also List of assassinated American politicians Selected works in medicine and science Ramsay, David, The Charleston Medical Register for the Year MDCCCII, 1803. Ramsay, David, A Dissertation on the Means of Preserving Health, in Charleston, and the Adjacent Low Country, 1790. Ramsay, David, An Eulogium upon Benjamin Rush, M.D., 1813. Ramsay, David, A Review of the Improvements, Progress and State of Medicine in the XVIIIth Century, 1801. Ramsay, David, A Sketch of the Soil, Climate, Weather, and Diseases of South-Carolina, 1796. Bibliography Hostetler, Michael J. "David Ramsay and Louisiana: Time and Space in the Adolescent Rhetoric of America." Western Journal of Communication 70 (2) (April 2006): 134–146. Kornfeld, Eve. "From Republicanism to Liberalism: The Intellectual Journey of David Ramsay." Journal of the Early Republic 1989 9(1): 289–313. Messer, Peter C. "From a Revolutionary History to a History of Revolution: David Ramsay and the American Revolution." :