During the Thanksgiving break, I went to Ford Theater, in Washington D.C., and learned a lot about the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Here’s what happened:
The stage of Ford Theater.
On the evening of April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln, the president of the US walked into the Ford Theater to watch Our American Cousin. A warm round of applause began as he walked into the presidential box, the perfect place to watch and laugh at the comedy. He sat down with the first lady, Mary Todd Lincoln, accompanied by Major Rathbone and his wife, Clara. As they guffawed at the jokes, they didn’t realize the danger lurking near them. John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor discretly crept up to the unguarded door, trying to avoid detection. Just as the actor on stage cracked the funniest joke of the comedy, he flung open the door, and fatally shot Lincoln in his head. Lincoln’s head slumped onto his chair, completely lifeless. At once, Major Rathbone leapt into his path to capture him, but Booth quickly drew out a dagger, and vehemently stabbed Rathbone in the arm. He then climbed over the balcony railing and dropped down with a violent thud, injuring himself by accident. Some of the audience thought he was a part of the play, but the screams coming from the balcony told otherwise. Then he shouted, “Sic semper tyrannis”.12
But why would someone want to murder the beloved president, Abraham Lincoln? The assassination occurred near the end of the Civil War, when the Union was on the brink of victory. Since John Wilkes Booth was a devoted confederate symphathizer, he was angry at the Union, and Lincoln, whom he thought was a tyrant. In an attempt to stop the Union from abolishing slavery, he and a group of people arranged a plot to kill President Lincoln, Vice President Andrew Johnson, and Secretary of State William H. Seward. He hoped that this three-pronged attack on the government would cause chaos among the Union and allow the Confederacy to continue fighting. However, only Booth carried out the plan.
The Presidential Box where Lincoln sat.
It’s hard to imagine nowadays that someone could just walk up and try to harm a president without even being noticed by security. After all, the Secret Service is protecting the President 24/7. However, in Lincoln’s time, the Secret Service did not exist. The people at the time believed in democracy: if you didn’t like the president, you could just vote him out instead of resorting to violence. That’s also the reason why regular civilians could simply wait in a line and meet President Lincoln in person without a reservation or security check! As a result of lack of security due to this general belief, John Wilkes Booth could enter the presidential box with such an ease, and no one could have predicted the tragedy that would unfold.
Lincoln was a brave and admirable president who sacrificed himself for the abolition of slavery. He was willing to talk to anyone, even those who had differing opinions and views. Millions today still mourn his lasting legacy, imprinted by his greatness. As I sat and gazed at the presidential balcony, I felt a deep sense of sadness, from the loss of the exceptional leader. It also made me wonder, if the great tragedy had not struck, how would that have influenced the course of history? I think he would have pushed for multiple laws, such as granting African American into the military, securing their citizenship, and thus, voting rights. Even if he had not succeeded in passing the legislation, he might have had expedited the process of equal rights among races and genders across the country. As a result, we wouldn’t have to wait for a whole century to establish equal rights in the law.
Footnotes
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“Sic semper tyrannis!” is translated into “Thus always to tyrants!” ↩
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Most recount Booth saying “Sic semper tyrannis!” but some people, including Booth himself, recount just “Sic semper!” He jumped into the prearranged carriage, and hurtled off into the distance. However, his luck would soon run out, as a nationwide search for Lincoln’s assassin began. 12 days later, Booth was found and killed in Virginia. ↩