©2021 The Clever TeacherAbraham Lincoln’s AssassinationTwo days after Lee’s surrender at AppomattoxCourt House, Abraham Lincoln gave a speechdetailing his plans for rebuilding the Union. John WilkesBooth, a successful actor from Maryland, was in theaudience. Booth believed in slavery and whitesupremacy. Upon hearing Lincoln’s speech he said tohis companion, “That is the last speech he will evermake.”Earlier in the year, Booth had made failedattempts to kidnap the president. After hearing thespeech, he planned Lincoln’s assassination. With thehelp of his co-conspirators, he planned to kill PresidentAbraham Lincoln, Vice President Andrew Johnson, andSecretary of State William H. Seward all in the samenight. They decided upon the evening of April, 14,1865, when Lincoln would be attending a play at Ford’sTheatre in Washington D.C.The play was “Our American Cousin”, a comedy.Lincoln was accompanied by his wife Mary ToddLincoln, a young officer named Major Henry R.Rathbone, and his fiancé Clara Harris. John WilkesBooth waited outside the presidential box for the leadAbraham LincolnMarch 1865John Wilkes Boothactor to utter a very funny line. Amid the laughter, he barged intoLincoln’s box with a dagger and a pistol. He fired the pistol six inches fromLincoln and slashed Rathbone with his dagger. He then jumped from thebalcony onto the stage. Some witnesses said his foot caught on a flagand he broke his leg. Somesaid that Booth declared, “SicSemper Tyrannis” which is Latinfor “Thus be it always fortyrants.” Others reported thathe said, “The South isavenged!” Booth ran off thestage and escaped by horse.Lincoln had been shot in thehead. He was brought to anearby boarding house wherehe died the next morning.Side A