Lizzie Borden Research Paper

Lizzie Andrew Borden was an American woman who was absolve from a double murder in 1892, at the age of 22 (Carlisle,1992). Lizzie Borden parents were; Andrew Jackson and Sarah Border, unfortunately, Borden’s mother died when she gave birth to her. Lizzie Borden’s father was a wealthy property developer and the head of one of the largest banks, making him disfavored amongst the community. (TheFamousPeople.com, 2017). Border had a religious upbringing and would attend Sunday school church. Lizzie Bordern, was also involved in contemporary social movements such as the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (TheFamousPeople.com, 2017). Borden and her stepmother did not interact often and it is said that Borden would refer to her as “Mrs. Borden”

In July 1892 there was a family argument (no records of what was said in this argument exist) in which Lizzie Borden and her sister, Emma, had to take vacations away. On the morning of August 4, 1892, Borden allegedly stabbed her step mother in her skull repeatedly, on the second floor of their house (TheFamousPeople.com, 2017). Couple minutes later as her father was resting in the living room she approached him and stabbed him about 11 times (TheFamousPeople.com, 2017). The same day of the murder, Lizzie Borden was found burning a dress outside of her house (Linder 1995). Seven days later she was arrested and put on trial for both murders (TheFamousPeople.com, 2017). While in custody she could not repeat the same story about her whereabouts, making her even more suspicious (Linder 1995). Given that Lizzie Borden did not have a lawyer at the time of testimony it was not admissible in court (Linder 1995). The police speculated that the murder had to be someone from the house and since Lizzie Borden’s sister was out of town the blame fell on her (Linder 1995). During the trial the police did not find any evidence against Lizzie Borden therefore, just after one hour of deliberations the jury decided that she was not guilty (Linder

Bipolar disorder causes mood swings, affects energy levels, and impulsive behaviors (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). There are several accounts that Lizzie Borden did not get along with her stepmother even though she raise her, other accounts mention that they would always be cordial with each other. After some tension in the family, Lizzie Borden’s impulsivity may have led her into killing her father and stepmother. Lizzie Borden also showed signs of antisocial personality disorder. Symptoms include; persistent lying, manipulation, and lack of empathy (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). At the time of the trial, Lizzie Borden, changed her story multiple times, she was inconsistent. Borden also had a history of stealing from her stepmother and would often blame someone else (Hartselle, 2013). During the trial she showed no emotion about her parents having been murdered (Hartselle,