Say Goodbye To President Lincoln Research Paper

Chapter 1 of Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson is about the assassination plan of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth. This assassination plan had strengths and weaknesses. John Wilkes Booth was a twenty-six year old actor who was a strong, loyal, and passionate confederate. Booth and his conspirators had a mission to take down some of the top leaders of the United States of America - the President Abraham Lincoln, Vice President Johnson, and U.S Secretary of State William Seward. In assessing this plan, which is similar to any other assassination plan, it includes good and bad situations with conspirators, location/time, and also weapons.

The term conspiracy theory is defined as a belief that powerful people or groups are responsible for events or situations due to secret plans that are illegal or harmful. There is many conspiracy theories that captivated the American people, but the most controversy conspiracy theory that leaves many unanswered questions for years is the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Friday of November 22, 1963, the 35th President of the United States, JFK, was shot at 12:30 PM while traveling in Dallas, Texas to appear for the next presidential campaign. Thousands of Americans whom was present at Dallas, Texas just witness the murder of the United States president. Many Americans believed that the United States government was behind the JFK assassination.

The conspiracy to kill Abraham Lincoln was not a one-man job. Many of the Confederates did not like Lincoln's ways of thinking which resulted in hostility toward the president. John Wilkes Booth was one of those people who hated Lincoln. Even though Booth was the assassin, he could not have done it without the help of his peers. Obviously Booth deserved to die because of the crime he had committed, but what about the others? Mary Surratt, David Herold, Lewis Powell, and George Atzerodt were the co-conspirators most involved in Lincoln's assassination. In the book Chasing Lincoln's Killer, all of these conspirators were all hung for their part in the conspiracy, but did they all deserve it?; George Atzerodt may have been the exception.

This theory explained Abraham Lincoln's devastating pre-assassination on 1865. After Many attempts to kidnap Lincoln but failed to work out until the Confederacy surrendered to the North. The well-known stage performing artist John Wilkes Booth thought the president was determined to destroy the constitution, and he turned to the thoughts of assassination. This theory focused on how Booth and co-conspirators come up with their changes plans of murdering the president and two of his possible successors, Booth and his co-conspirators hoped to throw the U.S. government into disarray. Looking back with the abduction plot established, the question remains, who was really behind and included in the death of the

“Atzerodt had doubts about his assignment. He would not do it, he said,” (Swanson 27) writes James L. Swanson in his novel Chasing Lincoln’s Killer. George Atzerodt was a slow-witted German member of Booth’s band of conspirators. He enjoyed clothes, food, and fame as provided by John Wilkes Booth, and was involved in the inner Conspiracy, although he refused to take any actions. He was condemned an active conspirator by authorities and hanged for his alleged crimes. It was only due to the suspension of the right of habeas corpus, in “Lincoln and the Writ of Liberty”, that prevented Atzerodt from being brought to court to determine if he was being legally held. Atzerodt did not have any chance to prove himself innocent, and was immediately arrested

John F. Kennedy, the 35th United States President, was assassinated on November 22, 1963 during a parade while he and his wife were visiting Dallas, Texas. The Warren Commission has concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald, a lone shooter, was the man who committed the crime. Over the years after Kennedy’s death, people have come up with other ideas of why and how this president died. One of many conspiracies was made by his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, saying that Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson had something to do with it. She believed that he wanted to become the president so badly that he would kill to get it. In this conspiracy, it is said that Johnson hired two men to assassinate John F. Kennedy. At least one of the gunmen was supposedly waiting in the

Julius Caesar and Abraham Lincoln were similar in a lot of ways. Both were very famous political figures known for dealing with civil wars amongst their countries. They also both supported the common people and wanted to advance their countries to be more modern. Caesar updated the Roman Calendar and contributed to many reforms that helped the common people of his empire. Lincoln was a supporter of stopping the expansion of slavery which won him the popularity of the northern states. Similarly, the two politicians had supporters of their cause and people who went against them and strongly opposed the changes they made to the political systems of their individual countries. Another way the two were similar is that they were both assassinated

Surpassing the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's death, many have reflected on the life and legacy of the former president. Kennedy was shot and killed on November 22, 1963, while riding in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas. The night Kennedy was assassinated, Kennedy planned to give a speech in Texas. The last lines of the speech JFK would've given the night of his assassination included the following: "Neither the fanatics nor the faint-hearted are needed. And our duty as a Party is not to our Party alone, but to the nation, and, indeed, to all mankind. Our duty is not merely the preservation of political power but the preservation of peace and freedom. So let us not be petty when our cause is so great. Let us not quarrel amongst ourselves

The confusion, shock, and pandemonium at the scene of the crime can hardly be overstated. Amidst the sensory assault of roaring motorcycles, wailing sirens, and the highly animated throng cheering the arrival of President John F. Kennedy and his elegant wife, Jacqueline, one of the most momentous events of the 20th century occurred in mere seconds. Eyewitness perceptions varied wildly. Some thought shots had come from behind the limousine (the vicinity of the Book Depository), while others thought they came from in front or from the right side (the grassy knoll) three witnesses thought the shots sounded as if they came from right inside the President 's car. One witness erroneously thought a bystander was shot in the foot and fell down. One of the closest witnesses "thought [she] saw some men in plain clothes shooting back," which certainly didn 't happen, "but everything was such a blur." Early press bulletins reported that a Secret Service agent had been killed at the

April 14, 1865 their plan was struck into action. John Wilkes booth had made his preparations for the attack, he had an escape route, a backup plan, his weapon, he knew where the president was going to sit, he knew secret tunnels and passageways in Ford’s theater, and he had his horse ready. All he needed was the president. Meanwhile at the Secretary’s house Lewis Powell and David Herold had arrived and waited for the perfect time to attack. When they saw no guards around Lewis Powell, disguised as a messenger, went up to the Secretary of State’s house and rang the doorbell. The Secretary’s servant answered the door and tried to recieve the package from Lewis, but

At 12:30 p.m., on November 22nd, 1963, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s motorcade was passing through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, when he was shot and killed. His assassination shocked the nation, and the police were quick to react. On the same day, Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the murder of John F. Kennedy. Two days later, Oswald was shot and killed by Jack Ruby, a nightclub owner, outside the doors of the Dallas Police Headquarters. With no confession or trial to prove Oswald’s guilt, the suspicion of a conspiracy to assassinate the President gripped the American people. However, the United States Government’s position was that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. They said he was a lone gunman and a mad man, who killed the President with no help whatsoever. In response, there were many speculations about the assassination and the government’s attempt to cover up this particular event. Could a controversial theory prove that there was more than one

Lewis Powell and George Herold, both apart of Booths Gang were on there way to try and assassinate secretary of state William Henry Seward. Harold waited outside with the horses for the escape and Powell went inside to attempt assassination. He got very close to killing Seward, he stabbed him and cut him all over. But what were the odds that Seward did not die. Everybody thought he was dead so news started spreading fast about the death and assassination. Meanwhile back at the town Booth was getting closer and closer to Lincoln 's Booth seat. Booth sneaked all the way up until he was at the door that lead into the booth. surprisingly enough nobody was guarding the door like he expected. Booth slowly walked in until he was just 3 feet behind Major Henry Rathbone, Clara harris, Mary Todd Lincoln, and Abraham Lincoln. Booth waited until everybody started laughing, Pulled out his philadelphia Deringer and then fired right into lincoln 's head. Most People thought it was part of the show but once the smoke started pouring out of the booth they realized something was horribly wrong. Booth right away jumped out and yelled “Sic Semper tyrannis” and

One of the reasons Lincoln was assassinated because he wanted to make America, united as one even if it was an all slave country or an all free slave country. All Lincolns wanted to do was to unite the country as one. It takes a war and his life to make that happen. There were about five attempts to kill Lincoln, one attempt was 9 months before Lincoln 's assassination. In 1864, 9 months before he was brutally shot by John Wilkes Booth, he was riding to the Old Soldier’s Home outside of Washington DC, he was there all alone with no one around. A gunshot rang out, and his horse Jumped in fear. President Lincoln arrived, without his hat, at the old Soldier’s Home. The following day, two soldiers went looking for the hat, and discovered it on the path, with a musket ball hole through the side. The shooter had missed because something made him miss it could have been because it was dark. President Lincoln, for his part, dismissed the incident as a likely hunting accident. He told the soldiers that rumors of an assassination plot would be more dangerous to

Many of America's leaders were assassinated such as John F. Kennedy and MLK. The motives to their assassinations were most from disagreements which is the same motive for the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. On April 14th 1865, John Wilkes, shot and killed Abraham Lincoln at a play at ford Theatre . John Wilkes Booth was born in Maryland and was born in 1838. He lived in the north during the civil War but but yet he still didn’t agree with Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln's assassination was not justified because he freed slaves and he was a great leader.

As Booth began his bold escape, the fate of Abraham Lincoln was unknown. According to “Abraham,” Charles Leale heard the pistol fire and Mary’s scream, so the twenty-three year old doctor sprinted towards the wounded President . When Leale reached Lincoln, the young doctor saw the physical condition of the President. “He found the president slumped in his chair, paralyzed and struggling to breath” (History.com). “Assassination” states that the doctor reacted quickly by ripping the President’s shirt open for a physical examination, but Leale could not find the bullet wound. With that diagnosis, the focus shifted from saving the President to moving him out of Ford’s Theater (2009). “Abraham” states that Lincoln was transported to a home across the street and placed in a bed. Lincoln’s Vice President, Cabinet, and friends assembled in the house. When the Surgeon General arrived at the home, he said that Lincoln would not survive the night. Now, all of those who had come to see the President could only wait for his death. The moment of