evidence: In the heart of the American political landscape, a shocking event has unfolded, sending tremors through the very core of the nation's identity. On July 13, former President and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was shot while speaking at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The attempted assassination on the former President, a figure both prominent and polarizing, has left a visible mark not only on the man himself but also on the collective consciousness of a society already grappling with deep divisions. [...] Immediately after the incident, the incumbent President Biden said, "The idea that there's violence in America like this is just unheard of." Well, no. The United States was born out of violence and has been shaped by it. From the brutal slaughtering of Native Americans, to the senseless deprivation and displacement of them during the Westward Movement, and to the ruthless accumulation of wealth based on the evil of slavery, violence has been a constant undercurrent. From Lincoln to Kennedy, the specter of political violence has loomed over America's highest office for more than two centuries since its founding, claiming the lives of four presidents and injuring three. Of the 45 individuals who have served as president, 13 were subject to actual or attempted assassinations. Each time, indignant condemnations followed and resolute vows against political violence were renewed, but to no avail.