June 21: This Day in History

On this day in history, many interesting things took place in the U.S. Here are the events we chose to highlight.

1788: United States Constitution Ratified

The Preamble to the Constitution states,"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, Establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessing of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

Fifty-five delegates argued over the United States Constitution before is was established on September 17, 1787. The delegates formed two groups, the federalists and the anti-federalists. Federalists wanted a strong central government, whereas the anti-federalists were more concerned about individual freedoms. 

Despite the arguments, the U.S. Constitution was established, and it became a document that lays out the law of the land. By creating the Constitution, it established basic rights for citizens and created a more perfect union between the states.

On June 21, 1788, an agreement was made that a Bill of Rights would be added later to limit the power of Federal government. By ratifying the Constitution, a more perfect union was created. 

1916: U.S. Soldier Attacked by Mexican Government Troops

In 1916, World War I was going into its third hard fought year, while the U.S. military was on a controversial expedition against Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa.

On June 21, 1916, Mexican government troops attacked the U.S. Brigadier General John J. Pershing's force at Carrizal, Mexico. The Mexican troops attacked a detachment of the U.S. 10th Calvary at Carrizal. 

After the brutal attack, the American military suffered 22 casualties, and more than 30 Mexicans were killed.

1982: Hinckley Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity

On March 30, 1981, John W. Hinckley, Jr. shot President Ronald Reagan, his press secretary and a police officer outside of a Washington, D.C. hotel. The failed assassin was arrested and faced a trial for attempted murder; however, he was found not guilty of attempted murder by reason of insanity on June 21, 1982.

Hinckley's attorney argued that he was ill due to narcissistic personality disorder. He used medical evidence and proved that Hinckley had a pathological obsession with the 1976 film Taxi Driver.

In the movie, the main character attempt to assassinate a fictional senator. Hinckley's lawyer claimed that watching the movie dozens of times made him want to reenact the events of the film. 

On the day of the shooting, Hinckley fired six shots at the president. After Reagan spent 12 days in the hospital due to being shot in the lung, he returned to the White House.

After Hinckley's ruling of not guilty, he was placed into the St. Elizabeth's Hospital, a mental institution due to his obvious threat to society.

In the late 1990's, Hinckley's attorney began to argue that his mental illness was in remission and he should be released. In August 1999, Hinckley was allowed to have supervised day trips off the hospital grounds and later was granted the availability to visit his parents once a week without supervision. If Hinckley's mental illness remains in remission, he could one day be released back out into the public.