Wes with more on whose job is it to protect the President.
Who protects the President? Well, before the Secret Service, it was sometimes the Army, sometimes the local police.
But lots of times, it was no one.
Tom Jefferson walked to his own inauguration, unguarded.
Martin Van Buren walked to church on Sundays, alone.
Before Lincoln, the only serious attempt to kill a President was a would-be assassin who fired two shots at Andrew Jackson.
He missed.
But even after that, presidential protection remained, at best, sporadic.
On the night Lincoln was assassinated, a local Washington patrolman had been assigned to protect the President.
But he abandoned his post... to get a better view of the play.
The Secret Service was created four months after Lincoln's assassination- not to protect the President, but to protect the economy.
Its agents were charged with fighting counterfeiting.
At the time, over one-third of the paper currency in the United States was counterfeit.
Two more presidents would be assassinated before presidential protection became a full-time national priority.
One gunman killed President Garfield at a Washington train station in 1881; and another gunman shot President McKinley at the Pan-Am Expo in Buffalo in 1901.
After three assassinations in less than forty years, Congress finally assigned the Secret Service responsibility for the safety of the President at all times.
Today, the duties of the Secret Service include protecting the President, Vice-President, future presidents, past presidents, presidential families, visiting heads of states, and other distinguished foreign visitors.
They still continue to fight counterfeiting, as well as credit card, telemarketing, and cell phone fraud. In other words, they stay busy.
As an enthusiast and expert in history, particularly in the realm of presidential security and law enforcement agencies, I can confidently shed light on the evolution of presidential protection and the Secret Service's role in safeguarding the President. My knowledge spans various historical events, policy changes, and the transition of responsibilities related to protecting the highest office in the United States.
The information presented in the provided article encapsulates the historical evolution of presidential protection. Before the establishment of the Secret Service, the responsibility for safeguarding the President shifted among different entities, including sporadic involvement from the Army, local police, and at times, no protection at all.
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Early Presidential Security: The article highlights instances where Presidents such as Thomas Jefferson and Martin Van Buren had minimal or no formal protection. It mentions the lack of consistent security measures before the Secret Service's formation.
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Assassination Attempts: The article details the limited protection that existed during past assassination attempts, notably Andrew Jackson's encounter with a failed assassin and the tragic assassination of Abraham Lincoln, during which a negligent patrolman abandoned his post for a better view of a play.
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Creation of the Secret Service: The Secret Service was not initially established to protect the President but rather to combat counterfeiting, as rampant counterfeit currency posed a significant threat to the nation's economy after the Civil War. It wasn't until after multiple presidential assassinations, including Garfield and McKinley, that Congress officially tasked the Secret Service with the primary responsibility of safeguarding the President.
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Expansion of Duties: Over time, the Secret Service's role expanded beyond protecting the President to include safeguarding the Vice President, future and past Presidents, presidential families, visiting foreign dignitaries, and other distinguished guests. Additionally, their responsibilities extended to combating various forms of fraud, including credit card, telemarketing, and cell phone fraud, in addition to their initial mission of fighting counterfeiting.
In essence, the Secret Service evolved from a specialized agency combating counterfeit currency to a multifaceted organization responsible for protecting the highest echelons of the US government and combatting diverse forms of financial fraud.
The narrative of the Secret Service's transformation from a singular focus on countering counterfeiting to becoming the premier agency for protecting high-profile individuals reflects a compelling historical progression within the realm of presidential security and law enforcement.
