How troubled does someone need to be to assassinate one of the finest presidents this country has ever had? John Wilkes Booth grew up in a disorderly household. He was always hiding in the shadows of his actor family members. Anger quickly became a habit for Booth. Although John Wilkes Booth claims to have had his reasons for murdering Abraham Lincoln, this only explains, it does not excuse, the action (O’Reilly, 26). John Wilkes Booth pulled the trigger in Ford’s Theater on April 15, 1865 and assassinated the 16th president of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln. The assassination of Abraham Lincoln was unjustified because he worked to end slavery and lead our country humbly through the tremendous pressures put on him during the Civil War; however, some may believe the President was attempting to remove the Constitution …show more content…
A large group of people believed killing Lincoln was a necessity to keeping slavery and the southern way of life (O’Reilly, 27). John Wilkes Booth thought it was his duty to kill the president. His hatred was so strong. In fact, he believed he was “the only man in America who can end the North’s oppression,” (O’Reilly, 26). People were wrong to think Lincoln would remove the Constitution because he did not have the power to do so. The Constitution authorized slavery so Lincoln left this alone and did not technically try to change that (Pruitt). Although, Lincoln did make the first steps to ending slavery, and that was one of the best things our country did. Slaves were treated as though their only life purpose was to help their owners. It was very “degrading.” The owners physically forced the slaves to work and if they did not, they were threated or beaten (Hamner). Slavery was, no doubt, horrible and Lincoln could see that and attempted to stop it. This was no reason to kill
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 men who were meant to kill the Secretary of State were Lewis Powell and David Herold, as the man who was assigned to kill the Vice President was George Atzerodt. Although none of the conspirators went through with the plan but John Wilkes Booth. When Lincoln arrived late to Ford’s Theater, he immediately went up to a private box above the stage along side his wife, army officer Henry Rathbone, and Henry’s fiance. When Booth came to the private box, the army officer rushed towards Booth only for Booth to stab the officer in the shoulder then proceeded to point a .44 caliber to the back of Lincoln’s head. Booth then jumped down from the box on to the stage while shouting, “Sic semper tryannis!”, which means thus ever to tyrants, the Virginia state motto.
Lincoln had many people that tried to assassinate him. There was only one that succeeded in killing Lincoln. He was careful with his methods and process. John Wilkes Booth was the man that killed Abraham Lincoln at Ford 's Theater. Nine months before Lincoln was assassinated someone else tried to kill Lincoln in August of 1864.
Abraham Lincoln, who is widely known as an advocator against slavery, was, in the beginning, not strongly one way or another. He said, that, “My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not to save or destroy slavery” (Doc. 10). His opinion later changed when he got a visit from Fredrick Douglas and he because a pro-abolitionist. After the civil war ended, all freed men were supposed to be given 40 acres of land, taken from the chief rebels but things got complicated, and most rebels were forgiven, and given their land back (Doc. 2). African Americans were not the only ones fighting for their equality.
Booth was a Confederate at heart because he grew up in the south. He was against the Union, President Lincoln, and the ideas they represented. Booth eventually developed a plan to kill President Lincoln, but he couldn’t do it alone. Booth looked all through the Confederate to find help. Eventually, Booth found Lewis Powell, George Atzerodt, David Herold, and Samuel Arnold to help him plan and carry out the conspiracy to assassinate not only President Lincoln, but also attempt to kill Secretary Seward and Vice President Andrew Johnson.
Abraham Lincoln was Assassinated in April 15, 1865 while he was in petersen house theatre while he was watching a play and got shot by John Wilkes Booth. The topic is important because some people loved him because he abolished slavery and Abraham Lincoln was known during the campaign Rail Candidate he also won a large amount of support from his belief that slavery was wrong, and was causing harm to the United States and some people hated him because he started the civil war. The assassination of Abraham Lincoln was unjust because he abolished slavery and he signed the first of the homestead Acts; however some people believe that it was just because he caused the civil war. He wrote a letter to joshua speed about how he hate slavery.
You can see this in Document B, wherein 1858 Lincoln says this: “I have no purpose . . . to interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists . . .” Later on in the same document he also states, “There is no reason in the world why the negro is not entitled to all the natural rights . . . in the Declaration of Independence- the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” While Lincoln was running for president, he promised to leave slavery alone in the South, but he also stays true to his personal morals through his time, that slavery
Lincoln’s assassination was a very important part in history. His presidency was impactful to society; he was a key factor for the unification of the Confederacy and the Union, and he ended slavery for once and for all. The assassination of this wise, noble man marked a day of dread to the people of America. It will take a close assessment of this murder, the men behind it all, and the reason to fully comprehend its significance. Lincoln was killed April 15, 1865.
He was outspoken in his advocacy of slavery, and his hatred of Lincoln. In a letter to his brother-in-law, John Wilkes Booth states, “This country was formed for the white, not for the black man. And looking upon African slavery from the stand-point, as held by those noble framers of our constitution, I for one, have ever considered it, one of the greatest blessings (both for themselves and us) that God ever bestowed upon a favored nation.” Booth was basically saying that slavery was a “blessing” for the white and the black man, and a very good thing that the creators of our country brought across. John Wilkes booth did not actually want to kill Lincoln, at first he only wanted to kidnap him until all confederate prisoners were released.
Five days after the Confederacy’s surrender, John Wilkes Booth had successfully killed one of the most influential presidents in American history to do what he believed would redeem power to the southern states. Booth’s main goal was to tear down the Union’s government by taking down their leader and his successors, but the original plan did not involve the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Historian Christopher Hammer explained in his article "Booth's Reason for Assassination", the former actor had created a group of co conspirators and designed "a ploy on March 17 to capture Lincoln as he traveled in his carriage [and had] collapsed when the president changed his itinerary—and several of Booth’s conspirators ultimately left the group.” (Teaching History). Since the failed capture of the president, Booth hatred towards Lincoln grew after hearing the president’s goal to officially abolish slavery in his Second Presidential
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.
President Lincoln stated that: “if I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it,..., and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would do it.”. This quote clearly shows that the freedom of slaves was not his concern and unnecessary if it did not help the Union; as the result, slavery still exists if there is no war. Free slave from bondage should be a Great Emancipator’s primary goal and he will do his best to achieve it no matter what, but president Lincoln’s thought differed from that because all he cares was the Union. Although he had many times admitting himself an anti-slavery but his words and thoughts obviously prove that he is
In fact he said that if he could save the Union without freeing any slaves he would do it. Lincoln did believe that all men (including black men) should have the right to improve their condition in society and to get paid for their labor. However, he did not believe that black men could
Abraham Lincoln's assassination was not justified because he freed slaves and he was a great leader. Abraham Lincoln’s assassination was unjustified because he freed slaves. In 1863 Abraham makes his final proclamation frees slaves. At the end of the war he officially ended slavery in America.