Kidnapping

Kidnapping, the forcible abduction of a human being, whether or not for ransom. A famous early example was the kidnapping of Richard I of England for a huge ransom, on his way home from the crusades in 1192. In the 17th century the term referred to the practice of abducting children for labor on U.S. plantations. The first major U.S. kidnapping case occurred in 1874, but after 1920, with the growth of gangsters kidnappings increased at an alarming rate. The abduction and murder of the infant son of Charles A. Lindbergh in 1932 so aroused the public that legislation making kidnapping a federal crime, in some cases punishable by death, was passed in 1932 and 1934. Thereafter, kidnappings for ransom in the United States declined sharply. In modern times revolutionary groups have kidnapped ambassadors, consuls, businesspersons, and politicians, sometimes for ransom, sometimes to force the release of political detainees.