On March 20, 1865, John Wilkes Booth, a Maryland native and a Confederate sympathizer, attempted to kidnap the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln luckily did not appear at the location where Booth had planned to abduct him. Two weeks after the failed attempt, Union forces took control of the city of Richmond, Virginia. The collapse of the Confederate forces seemed imminent due to the fact that the Union had taken control of most of the Confederate territories. After his failed attempt to kidnap Lincoln, Booth believed that the only way the Confederate forces could regain power was by assassinating President Lincoln. Booth began preparations for his new plan.1
Lincoln had a passion for drama and the theatre, as did Booth who was a well known and successful actor in the United States. Laura Keene, one of the most famous actresses at the time, was going to perform the three act play “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., and after learning that Lincoln would be present at the event, Booth knew it was the perfect opportunity for to carry out his plan. On the evening of April 14, 1865, Lincoln occupied his private box at the Ford Theatre along with his wife, Officer Henry Rathbone and Rathbone’s fiancée. Booth was in the crowd, and when the clock reached 10:00PM, Booth entered Lincoln’s box. He positioned himself behind Lincoln, removed his .44 caliber Derringer and shot Lincoln in the back of the head. In the process he managed to stab Officer Rathbone. After the vicious attack, Booth jumped from the box and onto the stage. Upon his landing, Booth shouted, “Sic temper tyrannis!” which means “I always bring death to tyrants.” The crowd was amazed and thought that it was all part of the play. It was not until Mary, Lincoln’s wife, shouted for help that the crowd took notice of the atrocity. Among the crowd there was a doctor that attempted to care for Lincoln, but unfortunately Lincoln did not make it through and was pronounced dead the next morning.2
Booth managed to escape the premises, and this led to one of the biggest manhunts in the history of the United States. Twelve days later, on April 26th, Booth was found along with two accomplices, David Herold, and Mary Surrat, by the Union army inside a house in Virginia. The house was burned down by the Union troops and Booth was shot in the head. David Herold was sentenced to death as was Mary Surrat. Booth’s plan of “saving” the Confederate forces failed as General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Confederate army to the Union forces on April 9, 1865, five days before Lincoln’s murder.
President Lincoln was one of the most influential people in the development of the United States of America and what it represents today. “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”- Abraham Lincoln.3
- James Orbesen, John Wilkes Booth : Beyond the Grave (Maryland, Landham: Trade Publishing, 2013), 6-14. ↵
- Kim A. O’Connell, “Lincoln’s Last Witness,” Civil War Times, no. 3 (2015): 60. ↵
- George Clack and Michael Jay Friedman, Abraham Lincoln: A Legacy of Freedom (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of State, Bureau of International Information Programs, 2008), 22. ↵
70 comments
Kimberly Simmons
Anyone who has grown up in the American school system knows who Abraham Lincoln is and how he died. Reading this article brought me back to a time when learning of his death was the most heartbreaking thing in the world, especially after learning of all that he sought to accomplish. I never knew what play Lincoln was attending, though, so that was an interesting discovery.
Johnanthony Hernandez
Great article, the assassination of Lincoln has always interested me. In that if his guard had not left for those few minutes would Lincoln have finished his term as president and how the country would have been affected. I’ve also wondered where Booth would have ended up if he had not gone through with the plan to assassinate Lincoln. Very informative article and well written.
Tyler Thompson
It’s sad that Booth’s form of thinking was flawed, thinking that his confederate approach was best, therefore killing Lincoln. Who would have thought that it would have actually happened. Luckily, officials were able to capture the other people who were behind this scheme, and put an end to Booth as well.
Isaac Rodriguez
I liked that the article was straightforward. The story behind the assassination of Abraham Lincoln is sad but interesting. It surprises me that Lincoln did not have better security. Some may argue that if his guard John Parker, did not leave his post to get a beer, Lincoln may have survived. I’d also like to mention that according to Lincoln’s appointed bodyguard, three days before his assassination, Lincoln had told him that he had a bad dream where people in the White House were mourning a death. In his dream, Lincoln asked a soldier who had died, and they told him that the president was assassinated.
Regina De La Parra
This is a very good article explaining the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Even though I knew some things about this tragic event, but I still did not know a lot about it. I liked to see that the author shared with us this tragic event, making us feel for him and be saddened at this event. I was happy when I read the last quote because I do think he was an amazing president. Great job Andres!
Grady Purcell
Abraham Lincoln was truly a person who wanted the greater good for everyone, he fought vigorously for the equal rights for everyone because he believed all people were equal no matter what race. He is one of the best presidents we have to this day simply because he stood up and defied many people because he knew it was wrong. The nation we live in today wouldn’t be how it is now if it wasn’t for him. His assassination is one that will always be remembered and it truly was a tragic loss for this great nation.
Derek Esquivel
Everyone knows about the assassination of President Lincoln. It is the most well-known assassinations in the world and it came at the time of when the Emancipation Proclamation was signed which ultimately freed the slaves. So, this gave Booth who was in favor of slavery an even bigger motive to do what he did. If this never happened I truly do wonder what the world would be like today.
Timothy ODekirk
I always knew of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination to be one of the most famous assassinations in U.S. history; however, I was not aware of the tragic event to this extent. I find it rather disturbing how Lincoln was killed while at a theater with his own wife. I cannot even begin to imagine how she felt after witnessing her husband’s own assassination. The assassination of Abraham Lincoln was a tragic event, and it scarred many loyal U.S. citizens throughout the nation during that time. The assassination is an event that will forever be known to the United States forever.
Cristina Cabello
This is a really good article about Lincoln’s assassination. I really liked how you gave him justice at the end with that quote. It is crazy how much has changed. Lincoln is right about us losing our freedom, due to us destroying ourselves. It is terrible and ironic about his assassination. This article was written very well over this unfortunate event.
Samuel Stallcup
Lincoln’s assassination is still being discussed today, and many feel that it had a massive impact on how America was developed after the Civil War. It’s interesting to think of the alternative endings to this scene, and “what if Lincoln wasn’t murdered?” I feel that America would not be THAT much different if Lincoln was not murdered, but I guess we’ll never know… Great article.