How Trump assassination attempt will be recorded in history books
U.S. historian Henry Glassie once said, “History is not the past but a map of the past, drawn from a particular point of view, to be useful to the modern traveler.”
Part of drawing that map for future generations requires the dedication and hard work of local historians. They are the ones who meticulously document, protect and share the stories, artifacts and traditions that define communities to foster a more inclusive understanding of the past.
Significant moments in history — such as the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump — are part of those efforts. That’s why the Butler County Historical Society plans to document Butler County residents’ experiences from that day as part of its official archives for future researchers.
Jennifer Ford, the society’s executive director, said she is prioritizing the creation of an archive containing information about how this event impacted the people of Butler County. Official records of historical moment often lack oral and written perspectives of the people who lived through them, which can frustrate future historians.
“For example, if you’re researching the history of the typhoid outbreak in Butler, you can find lots of records,” she said. “What you can’t find is how people reacted, what did they feel? And that’s what we’re going for. We’re the ones responsible for keeping Butler’s reaction to this event.”
Part of the archive will include oral and written stories from those who experienced the event firsthand.
“Written stories are fine, but we’re also interested in audio recordings and video,” Ford said. “We’re focusing on digital images, and if people have souvenirs from that day, we’ll take some of those as well.”
Ford said she’ll consult with members of the Society of American Archivists and historians at Slippery Rock University to ensure they document everything to preserve historical accuracy.
The historical society will not attempt a complete historical archiving, which would include official police records and other documents associated with events of that day.
“We are not positioned to do the historical ramifications of this assassination attempt,” Ford said. “I’m going to leave that to the national and international historians.”
It’s probably a good thing they don’t plan to go that route because it’s a long and arduous journey, said Helen Wong Smith, president of the Society of American Archivists.
Since the perpetrator of the attempted assassination was killed, any primary resources will be collected and held by the U.S. Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation, she said. And historians and archivists must fill out Freedom of Information Act requests to obtain the information, which can take a long time.
It took 20 years after the assassination of Robert Kennedy Jr. for the California State Archives to receive official records of the event. Nancy Lenoil served as the California State Archivist at the time. She recalled the long journey of securing investigation files from the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department files concerning the incarceration of Sirhan Sirhan from his arrest until after his trial.
“The Los Angeles Police Department records of the assassination investigation were held by the City of Los Angeles for almost 20 years after Robert Kennedy was killed before the records were transferred to the state archives and made available for research,” Lenoil said.
Even then, not all records were made available. “Generally, access to some records were restricted by specific provisions in the law,” she said.
Once the records are obtained, other challenges for managing a repository include having sufficient staff and other resources, such as archival storage supplies and space to preserve, store and provide access to the collection.
Lenoil offered some advice for the Butler County Historical Society as it begins its efforts to collect firsthand accounts of witnesses and how they feel the event impacted county residents.
“For the historical society, much will depend on having a collections policy defining what they can and will collect,” she said.
Ford said the historical society is working on a plan for collections and will release information on its website, social media accounts and in the local media when it is ready to begin accepting submissions for its archives. She expects it will take roughly six months to complete the process.
The historical society already has guidelines on who can access the documents once they’re compiled.
“This will be an archive that’s available to researchers only,” said Ford. “It’s not going to be on the website for the public because there are issues with privacy and safety involved.”
The society plans to include a wide demographic of people and perspectives and wants contributors to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts. “If people are unhappy about this measure, I’m sorry, but I’m protecting the privacy of those who choose to share their accounts with us,” Ford said. “Maybe 50 years from now it’ll be open access, but in the immediate term, it’s for historians of the future only.”
