Abraham Lincoln's Assassination Research Paper

He believes that God sent him to be the Confederate savior, and that his new plan will bring him widespread fame in the South. On the evening of April 15, 1865, Wilkes accidently runs into Bella in the theater. Afraid she may hinder his plan, he locks her in a cabinet in the basement, tied up and gagged. That night, Wilkes enters the theater and shoots Lincoln. After jumping off the balcony onto the stage and breaking his foot, Wilkes flees on horseback.

On April 14, 1865, one of the most devastating historic events took place. The war had just ended. Lincoln wanted to get out of the White House to get a good laugh. Lincoln decided to see one of his favorite plays, Our American Cousin. Arriving late, Lincoln was seated in the Presidential Box along with his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, Henry Rathbone, and Rathbone’s fiancé, Clara Harris. (Holzer)

On April 11, two days after Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s submission, President Abraham Lincoln delivered his last public address, during which he designated a merciful Reconstruction plans and encouraged sympathy and unprejudiced mind throughout the procedure. He said that the Confederate states had not ever left the Union, which was in direct opposing side to the views of Radical Republican Congressmen.

Everyone knows that John Wilkes Booth was the man who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln, but not everyone knows John Wilkes Booth’s take on it. Like Why did he do it? Who were his accomplices? What happened after he did it? Well that is was this paper is about.

Booth, along with his coconspirators began to plan the assassination of Lincoln (Ito 30) these conspirators included; George Azterodt, Mary Surratt, David Herold, Lewis Powell, Edward Spangler, Louis Paine, Samuel Arnold, Michael O’Laughlen (Ito 30). Though many of these conspirators did not actually commit murder they were still however charged with the crime of assisting Booth in plotting the murder of both Lincoln and Secretary of State William Seward (Ito 30).

Booth had deceptive control over his murderous plan, as well as the conspirators he persuaded to help him. Each person had

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in Hardin County, Kentucky in a one-room log cabin. He was the second son of Thomas and Nancy Lincoln. Here is Krayton Schnepf on the scene…..We are having some technical difficulties and will try reaching her again in a second.So heres so more information. When Abe was

He held one final meeting with his co-conspirators. He said he would kill Lincoln at the theatre (he had since learned that Grant had left town). Atzerodt was to kill Vice-President Andrew Johnson at the Kirkwood House where Johnson resided. Powell was assigned to kill Secretary of State William Seward. Herold would accompany Powell. All attacks were to take place simultaneously at approximately 10:15 P.M. that night. Booth hoped the resulting chaos and weakness in the government would lead to a comeback for the South.

John Wilkes Booth’s initial plan was to actually not kill Lincoln, but to kidnap him and hold him

He was a famous actor born in Maryland in 1838. He sided with the Confederates and did not like Abraham Lincoln. Instead of assassinating Lincoln, he had planned to kidnap him on March 5, 1865 and take him to the Confederate capital, Richmond. This planned failed when Abraham Lincoln did not show up to the spot. Two weeks after this, the Union forces took over Richmond. Booth then decided that Lincoln still needed to be killed, so he shot him with his .44 caliber, then stabbed Army Officer Henry Rathbone. After paralyzing Lincoln, “Booth leapt onto the stage and shouted, “Sic semper tyrannis!” (“Thus ever to tyrants!”–the Virginia state motto)” (History.com). He fell off of the stage after this, which resulted in him breaking his leg, but he still was able to

Soldiers then moved Lincoln to a house that had been across from the theatre and positioned him on a bed as they waited of the surgeon general. Upon his arrival he discovered that the shot to the head was fatal and that it was only a matter of time until the President would pass. Vice President Andrew Johnson, members of Lincoln’s cabinet and several of the presidents closets friends stood by his bed until the doctor pronounced Lincoln dead at 7:22am. Robert, the eldest son, was at his mother’s side in an adjoining room for it was just too shocking for Mary, the first lady, to handle.

Sadly, Lincoln was killed due to the belief of Booth that “Lincoln was going to over throw the constitution and destroy the south he loved.” (Booths reason for assassination) This was most likely caused by the fact that Booth was an open confederate sympathizer during the war. It was also thought that the guards were not doing their jobs at the theatre and that they allowed Booth to sneak by and shoot Lincoln in the head with a 44 caliber derringer pistol. Recently after Lincoln’s death it was found that co-conspirators were involved in Lincoln’s assassination at Ford’s

"Booth said he had sold his buggy, but gave witness $10 to hire one. Drove Mrs. Surratt out to Surrattsville. On Friday, the day of the assassination, also drove her there." She went out to Surrattsville on April 14, the night of Lincoln's assassination. She brought with her two small packages, "It was about six inches in diameter." She then went to Lloyd's house, where she dropped them off. Whether these had to do with the plot or not, she still went out to Surrattsville with John Surratt, a proven accomplice, on the day of the killing, then delivered a package to John Lloyd, who was also an accomplice. They returned at 9:00 PM, and Lincoln was shot shortly after 10:00 PM that day.

John Wilkes Booth was born in Maryland and remained in the North during the Civil War. However, he sympathized for the Southern Confederate states.

American Experience presents The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, from Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Barak Goodman. This film interviews some of the nation’s best scholars, including several writers and historians, who recount the known facts of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865. The film was very interesting and conveys the story from the beginning starting with murderer John Wilkes Booth, a young energetic, happy kid who grew upon his family farm in Maryland and followed his family’s footsteps into acting. But he had big shoes to fill trying to follow the greatness of his family who were famous theatrical actors. His acting was not very good as he began but he eventually became