1865 murder of the 16th President of the United States to counter the emancipation of African American slaves
Factsheet
Factsheet
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln Part of the conclusion of the American Civil War
Location Ford's Theatre, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Date April 14, 1865; 160 years ago (1865-04-14)
10:15 pm
10:15 pm
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln Part of the conclusion of the American Civil War
Location Ford's Theatre, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Date April 14, 1865; 160 years ago (1865-04-14)
10:15 pm
10:15 pm
Wikipedia
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln - Wikipedia
4 days ago - Near the end of the American Civil War, Lincoln's assassination was part of a larger political conspiracy intended by Booth to revive the Confederate cause by eliminating the three most important officials of the federal government. Conspirators Lewis Powell and David Herold were assigned to ...
Indiana State Museum
Why Booth Shot Lincoln - Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites
April 14, 2023 - Booth had been part of a conspiracy to kidnap Lincoln, Koerber said, but even when there was no hope for the Confederacy, Booth “was so against the idea of equality, he so embraced white supremacy, that he thought it was grounds for killing Lincoln.” The Confederacy had touted itself as ...
What was Booth Motive for the Assassination of Lincoln?
r/CIVILWAR • 90 • April 29, 2025
What was Booth Motive for the Assassination of Lincoln?
90
• April 29, 2025Booth was a staunch confederate sympathizer and he thought Lincoln’s death could provide a way for the south to still win the war. Lincoln also wasn’t the only planned target, it was a fairly large conspiracy. Secretary of State Seward and Vice President Johnson were also supposed to be assassinated and Grant could have been another possible target. It was an attempt to disrupt the power structure in the north and give the south a chance to succeed. More on reddit.com
Why did John Wilkes Booth assassinate Lincoln at a point during the American Civil War when the South had essentially already been defeated?
r/AskHistorians • 2 • October 11, 2023
Why did John Wilkes Booth assassinate Lincoln at a point during the American Civil War when the South had essentially already been defeated?
2
• October 11, 2023Well, he actually had a profound impact on the direction of the country, in a sense he kind of won. After Lincoln gave a speech advocating for the rights of citizenship for black Americans, chiefly the right to vote, Booth decided he would kill Lincoln. Lincoln's death led to Andrew Johnson's presidency, the goal of which was, to prevent nearly all reconstruction efforts. So egregiously in fact, he was our first president to be impeached. Even if he didn't live to see it, Booth set race relations in this country back quite a bit. More on reddit.com
TIL John Wilkes Booth initially didn't plan to assassinate President Lincoln. The original plot involved 7 conspirators kidnapping him and taking him to the confederate capital of Richmond, VA
r/todayilearned • 34 • February 24, 2021
TIL John Wilkes Booth initially didn't plan to assassinate President Lincoln. The original plot involved 7 conspirators kidnapping him and taking him to the confederate capital of Richmond, VA
34
• February 24, 2021Summary: He thought Lincoln could be used as a tool to force the North to negotiate for recognition of the South as he honestly believed a conspiracy theory that Lincoln wanted to make himself King of America. He believed Lincoln was planning to destroy democracy and he was protecting liberty and freedom. He also did not, under any pretext, want black Americans to be free and/or equal to whites under the law. Once Lee lost and surrendered unconditionally to Grant at Appomattox he then changed his plan to assassination form kidnapping.
More on reddit.comDid John Wilkes Booth kill Lincoln because Lincoln became a zombie?
r/ShermanPosting • 7 • October 20, 2021
Did John Wilkes Booth kill Lincoln because Lincoln became a zombie?
7
• October 20, 2021Is this some new Lost Cause bullshit?
More on reddit.comWhere was Abraham Lincoln assassinated?
Where was Abraham Lincoln assassinated?
The assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, took place at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., on the evening of April 14, 1865. Lincoln died the next morning on April 15.
britannica.com
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln | Summary, Conspirators, Trial, ...
Who was John Wilkes Booth?
Who was John Wilkes Booth?
John Wilkes Booth, a member of one of the United States’ most distinguished acting families of the 19th century, was the assassin who killed U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.
britannica.com
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln | Summary, Conspirators, Trial, ...
What play was Abraham Lincoln watching when he was assassinated?
What play was Abraham Lincoln watching when he was assassinated?
Abraham Lincoln was attending a performance of the comedy, Our American Cousin, at Ford’s Theatre, when he was shot by John Wilkes Booth in the back of the head with a .44 caliber derringer.
britannica.com
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln | Summary, Conspirators, Trial, ...
Videos
January 17, 2025
June 23, 2024
September 8, 2024
Ford's Theatre
Investigating the Assassination — Ford's Theatre
At some point, possibly after Lincoln endorsed limited African-American voting rights during a speech on April 11, 1865, Booth’s plan changed from kidnapping to assassination. He and other conspirators came up with a plan to kill the President, Vice President and Secretary of State on the same night. The conspirators believed their plan would throw the U.S. government into chaos, renewing the Confederacy’s ability to fight. How did ...
Wikipedia
John Wilkes Booth - Wikipedia
3 days ago - During the speech, Lincoln stated that he was in favor of granting suffrage to former slaves; infuriated, Booth vowed to kill him and allegedly declared that it would be the last speech that Lincoln would ever make. On April 12, 1865, Booth heard the news that Robert E. Lee had surrendered ...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln | Summary, Conspirators, Trial, Impact, & Facts | Britannica
5 days ago - Abraham Lincoln was attending a performance of the comedy, Our American Cousin, at Ford’s Theatre, when he was shot by John Wilkes Booth in the back of the head with a .44 caliber derringer. John Wilkes Booth, a member of one of the United States’ most distinguished acting families of the 19th century, was the assassin who killed ...
HistoryExtra
Why Did John Wilkes Booth Kill Abraham Lincoln? And How Was He Caught? The Real History Of Manhunt | HistoryExtra
October 10, 2024 - On 14 April 1865, an actor by the name of John Wilkes Booth entered Ford’s Theatre in Washington DC, not to perform but to murder the president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. What drove Booth to pull the trigger? And how was he able to evade the law for 12 days?
National Park Service
The Lincoln Conspirators - Ford's Theatre National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)
August 14, 2025 - An official website of the United States government · Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States
Quora
Why did John Wilkes Booth assassinate Lincoln at a point in time where the North essentially already had defeated the South? Was he insane, stupid, or severely misinformed about how the war was going? - Quora
Answer (1 of 44): I wouldn’t say that John Wilkes Booth was insane, stupid, or severely misinformed. He was outraged and desperate. Booth came from an extremely prominent family. His father Junius Booth was considered the finest Shakespearean actor of his generation.
National Park Service
Thoughts from an Assassin: The Journal of John Wilkes Booth - Ford's Theatre National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)
August 14, 2025 - An official website of the United States government · Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States
National Park Service
FAQ The Assassin - Ford's Theatre National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)
November 24, 2024 - An official website of the United States government · Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
What Events Led to Lincoln’s Assassination? | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
What events preceded the assassination? Where was Abraham Lincoln killed? When did this happen? How did John Wilkes Booth get access to the president? What reasons did John Wilkes Booth give for wanting to assassinate the president? Students will share their research findings in small groups.
Boundary Stones
John Wilkes Booth's Abduction Plot Gone Wrong | Boundary Stones
December 30, 2021 - John Wilkes Booth did not always plan on killing Lincoln. In fact, the actor’s original plan was to abduct Lincoln, take him to Richmond and exchange him for Confederate soldiers then held in Union prisons.
USAHEC
Lincoln's Assassination
Edwards, as did many other soldiers, felt it was unfortunate that Lincoln would not live to see the fruits of his labor and enjoy the Union victory. When the Nineteenth Corps, of which the Twenty-ninth Maine Regiment was a part, moved camp to Washington, D.C., Edwards and the other soldiers saw Lincoln's funeral train, covered in crepe and decorated with flags. "God grant that the Demon may be caught & be killed ...
Brainly
[FREE] Why did actor John Wilkes Booth assassinate Abraham Lincoln? - brainly.com
May 19, 2023 - John Wilkes Booth assassinated ... planned to kidnap Lincoln but later decided on assassination, mortally wounding Lincoln at Ford's Theater on April 14, 1865. Booth was killed by Union troops days later, and the assassination left the nation in profound mour...
Constitution Center
10 facts about Abraham Lincoln’s assassination | Constitution Center
Vice President Andrew Johnson was ... and didn’t attack. Colfax was third in line to succeed Lincoln, after Johnson, and Senate Pro Tempore Lafayette Sabine Foster. Secretary of State William Seward wasn’t in the line of succession in 1865. ... John Wilkes Booth had convinced George Atzerodt, an acquaintance, to kill Johnson by ...
TeachingHistory.org
Booth's Reason for Assassination | TeachingHistory.org
Finally rejecting the notion of ... besides Lincoln and General Grant, Secretary of State William Seward and Vice President Andrew Johnson were to be killed the same night by other members of Booth’s gang. Booth appears to have plotted the murders in the belief that the simultaneous assassination of four top officials would throw the North and the Republican Party into chaos long enough for the Confederacy to reassemble itself. The other parts of Booth’s plan did not come to ...
Ford's Theatre
Lincoln’s Assassination — Ford's Theatre
On the morning of April 14, 1865 (Good Friday), actor John Wilkes Booth learned President Abraham Lincoln would attend a performance of the comedy Our American Cousin that night at Ford’s Theatre—a theatre Booth frequently performed at. He realized his moment had arrived.
Pearce Museum
Pearce Museum | Facts from Lincoln’s Assassination and Death
Booth had several co-conspirators on the night of the assassination to carry out his plan to destroy the leadership of Lincoln’s government, with a man named George Atzerodt sent to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson at his resident at the Kirkwood House hotel.
TheCollector
Abraham Lincoln's Assassination: Here’s Everything You Need to Know | TheCollector
September 5, 2024 - The plan at this stage, however, was not to kill the president but to kidnap him and take him to Richmond, Virginia, where he would be held with the intent of forcing the Union to release Confederate prisoners. Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Adapted by author. Thirteen days later, Booth and his accomplices made plans to kidnap Lincoln as he returned from a play at Campbell General Hospital. Lincoln did ...