Harry Truman and Jimmy Carter's pardon to oscar collazo
Oscar Collazo was a Puerto Rican nationalist and leader in the Puerto Rican Independence Movement, who attempted to assassinate President Harry S. Truman. Even before his attempt to murder President Truman, he participated in criminal activity starting at the age of 14. During the 1950s, President Truman had given the order to drop a bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and it was also a year of turmoil in Puerto Rico, Collazo’s country. Puerto Rico was attempting to become independent, and the United States still had control over Puerto Rico. Since Collazo was mad at the United States, he and his friend, Grisello Torresola, committed an act that would get the public's attention and gain support for the Puerto Rican independence movement. The two bought tickets to Washington D.C. and planned an attack on the Blair House, where President Truman was living while the White House was being renovated. On November 1st, 1950, Collazo and Torresola went to the Blair House with guns in hand and started to shoot. During this process, Truman was safe in his room and was not hurt, but his friend Torresola, and one guard were killed and Collazo was on the floor wounded and unconscious.
After being tried in court in 1952, Collazo was given a death sentence, but President Truman commuted his sentence to life in prison. The two decades later, on September 6th, 1979, President Jimmy Carter commuted his sentence to 29 years, the amount of years he served up to that point. This pardon was definitely not fair because Oscar Collazo was attempting to kill the president and should have gotten the consequence of serving his sentence since people who attempt murders are usually sentenced to life as well. Also, since Collazo attempted to kill the president, he could have been harmful to others as well. In conclusion, the right to pardon was use irresponsibly by President Carter and Truman since they let a murderer out of jail.
After being tried in court in 1952, Collazo was given a death sentence, but President Truman commuted his sentence to life in prison. The two decades later, on September 6th, 1979, President Jimmy Carter commuted his sentence to 29 years, the amount of years he served up to that point. This pardon was definitely not fair because Oscar Collazo was attempting to kill the president and should have gotten the consequence of serving his sentence since people who attempt murders are usually sentenced to life as well. Also, since Collazo attempted to kill the president, he could have been harmful to others as well. In conclusion, the right to pardon was use irresponsibly by President Carter and Truman since they let a murderer out of jail.