American politics has long been conducted in the shadow of violence. Two of the country’s most celebrated presidents — Abraham Lincoln and John Kennedy — were assassinated. During the 1968 presidential election campaign, Bobby Kennedy was also assassinated, five years after the killing of his brother and two months after the murder of Martin Luther King, the civil rights leader. Ronald Reagan was also shot and wounded in the early years of his presidency.
长期以来,美国政治一直笼罩在暴力的阴影下。美国最著名的总统中,有两位遭到暗杀,他们是亚伯拉罕•林肯(Abraham Lincoln)和约翰•肯尼迪(John Kennedy)。1968年大选期间,博比•肯尼迪(Bobby Kennedy)也被暗杀,这起事件发生在他哥哥遭暗杀五年后、民权领袖马丁•路德•金(Martin Luther King)被谋杀两个月后。罗纳德•里根(Ronald Reagan)在担任总统初期也曾被人用枪打伤。