The Lincoln Assassination

1. The Lincoln Assassination

2. April 14th, 1865 • While attending a play at Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C., President Abraham Lincoln was shot

3. The Assassin • John Wilkes Booth, an actor and Southerner • Booth thought assassinating Northern leaders might give the Confederacy a chance to get back in the war

4. The Assassination • A friend of Lincoln’s, Major Henry Rathbone, struggled with Booth in the President’s box • Rathbone was stabbed, but would survive

5. The Assassination • Booth jumped over a rail, broke his ankle, and shouted “Sic Semper Tyrannis” (Latin for thus always to tryants) • Audience wasn’t sure what had happened

6. The Assassination • Booth then escaped backstage, got on a horse he had waiting, and quickly got out of Washington D.C.

7. The Assassination • A doctor in the audience would rush to the presidential box to try to help Lincoln • He was carried across the street since his condition made travel too dangerous

8. The Assassination • The following morning, April 15th, Lincoln passed away

9. The Assassination • At about the same time Lincoln was shot, a friend of Booth’s, Lewis Paine (also went by Lewis Powell), tries to kill U.S. Secretary of State William Seward William Henry Seward with his daughter, Fanny

10. The Assassination • Seward’s two sons and daughter fought off Paine • Seward is stabbed in the face, but survives • Paine Escapes One of Secretary of State William Henry Seward’s sons, Frederick, fighting off Lewis Paine

11. The Assassination • Another co-conspirator, George Atzerodt, was to kill U.S. Vice President Andrew Johnson • Instead he got scared and went to a saloon Co-conspirator George Atzerodt

12. The Manhunt • The assassination would lead to the largest manhunt in U.S. history • Secretary of War Edwin Jackson, who had become a friend of Lincoln’s, would lead the effort to find Booth

13. The Manhunt • Booth and his friend, David Herold, would remain on the run for 12 days • Would be surrounded in a barn in rural Virginia • Herold surrendered The Garrett farm in Virginia, where John Wilkes Booth would be surrounced

14. The Manhunt • A young soldier, Boston Corbett, would sneak up and shoot Booth in the back of the neck • Booth’s last words, “Useless, Useless” • The Manhunt Boston Corbett

15. The Aftermath • Four surviving co-conspirators, Paine, Atzerodt, Herold, and Mary Surrat, were hanged • Andrew Johnson becomes 17th president

17. The Aftermath • Andrew Johnson’s presidency would not be successful • He was impeached, but escaped being removed from office by one vote in the Senate 17th President Andrew Johnson

18. The Aftermath • Lincoln’s body would be returned to his hometown Springfield, IL on a funeral train, retracing the path he took to Washington D.C. when elected Lincoln’s funeral train

19. Further Discussion • How will Lincoln’s assassination impact: • The nation’s ability to heal after the Civil War? • How freed slaves are treated? • His legacy?

20. Bibliography • "Lincoln Papers: Lincoln Assassination: Introduction." Lincoln Papers: Lincoln Assassination: Introduction. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Sept. 2014. <http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/alhtml/alrintr.html>. • "President Abraham Lincoln Assassination." President Abraham Lincoln Assassination. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Sept. 2014. <http://americancivilwar.com/north/abraham_lincoln_assassination.html> The Lincoln Assassination