"Most people would agree that the U.S. is experiencing a deep partisan divide. It's fueling a particularly insidious form of extremism that has resulted in a growing number of violent acts against politicians, judges, and activists, plus their families. Charlie Kirk's death this week is the latest example, and it prompts the question: Is America in its assassination era? The question is a long time coming."
"Back in 2017, white supremacists marched through the University of Virginia for the Unite the Right rally that killed counterprotester Heather Heyer and injured 19 others. By 2020, the son of Obama-appointed Judge Esther Sales was killed by a self-described Donald Trump volunteer. Then there was the 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, fueled by right-wing extremists, which was connected to the deaths of four Americans and five police officers."
"This isn't the first time America has experienced an escalation in politically motivated attacks. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, a string of high-profile assassinations rocked the country, from President John F. Kennedy to Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X. How does our modern-day political climate compare? Are we worse off than we were some 60 years ago?"
The United States has seen a rising wave of politically motivated violence and targeted attacks against public figures and their families, including killings, assaults, and attempted assassinations. Incidents since 2017 include the Unite the Right rally that killed Heather Heyer, the 2020 killing of the son of an Obama-appointed judge, the 2021 Capitol insurrection with multiple deaths, the 2022 attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband, two assassination attempts on former President Trump, 2025 targeted killings of two Minnesota lawmakers, and a fire-bombing at Governor Josh Shapiro's home. These events prompt comparisons to the assassinations of the 1960s and 1970s and raise questions about lessons from the past.
Read at Slate Magazine
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