Guy Fawkes and the Plot to Blow Up the United States Capitol The preparations for President Biden’s as-yet-unscheduled State of the Union address are haunted by a 400-year-old conspiracy to decapitate the British government. What can we learn from the Gunpowder Plot? Clay S. Jenkinson, Editor-at-Large | March 5, 2021 You can listen to the companion audio version of this and other essays in the series using the player below or on We live in head-shaking times. In a congressional hearing on Feb. 25, acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman reported that heightened security around the Capitol will continue at least through President Biden’s upcoming State of the Union appearance, the date for which has not been set in part to prevent domestic terrorists from being able to prepare a coordinated attack on the United States government. Pittman reported that the intercepted “chatter” includes frequent mention of a plot to “decapitate” the entire top tier of the United States government at the State of the Union Address, when the president, most members of Congress, the Supreme Court, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Cabinet members gather for one of America’s most important annual rituals.