The Characterization of John Wilkes Booth(Revision)
When John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Lincoln at Ford’s Theater in Washington on April 14, 1865, people almost immediately deemed Lincoln a martyr. Although, no one even began to question whether Booth was one. A martyr is said to be a person who is killed for their beliefs, in the case of Booth, his hatred towards the president. Yet, with such a vague definition, martyr becomes very subjective. Aren’t those who are promised Paradise and eternal worship if they strap bombs to their chests considered martyrs too? Of course not! Not in the eyes of Americans at least. More often than not, martyrs are people who are willing to die for the cause in hopes that it will bring change. However,
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He believed assassinating Lincoln would make him grander than the man, who according to Booth, was the “grandest character of the century”(83), John Brown. However when things played out otherwise, he was quite befuddled. Why wouldn’t political murder be greeted as an act of heroism? Booth was shocked to learn that what he assumed would be regarded as a courageous act of southern patriotism was covered in the press as a treasonous crime of an evil lunatic. This interpretation challenges the work of critics who have long believed that Booth’s strategy was sound, and executed accordingly. Yet some readers may still challenge the view that Booth is nothing but a misguided patriot whose actions had no effect on the “cause” he believed …show more content…
At the core, what really infuriated Booth was his conviction that America was now destined to be ruled by a dictator, Lincoln, who would bring about a horrible racial reversal. Booth was not exactly subtle in his hatred for black people and his favoritism for slavery. Writing in his journal, Booth complains that, “this country was formed for the white not the black man”(23) and that slavery was “one of the greatest blessings that God ever bestowed upon a favored nation”(23). In making this comment, Booth furthermore explains his uncompromising pursuit for Lincoln’s head. After Lincoln’s reelection in 1864, the genesis of Booth’s plot came to be. Two days after the surrender of the Confederate Army, led by General Robert E. Lee, Lincoln delivered a speech on the White House balcony. In his speech, Lincoln outlined some of his ideas for reconstruction as well as his wish to extend franchisement to African Americans. Booth stood in the audience for the speech, and this notion seems to have furthermore fueled the flames. He stated, “That means nigger citizenship. Now, by God, I’ll put him through. That is the last speech he will ever make”(30). Three days later, Booth made good on his promise, driven by what he saw as a patriotic and religious duty to save his nation. Whereas some are convinced that Booth was a patriot fighting for a noble cause, others maintain that he was simply a
‘Kill me,’ he begged the soldiers. ‘Kill me, kill me!’ ‘We don’t want to kill you,’ Conger reassured him, ‘we want you to get well’” (175). The significance of this quote is the fact the United States wanted Booth to get well, because they wanted to make him a prize for the long 12-day manhunt. The 12-day manhunt took a lot of the man power as they searched around for Booth and they were satisfied in getting him. The soldiers wanted to take him in as prisoner and let the court deal with him and give him a punishment that would satisfy the whole nation. Although this was what was wanted from Booth, Boston Corbett had shot him nevertheless thinking he was going to shoot another individual. In addition, another important thing that one should understand is that Booth did not thoroughly think of any backup plans for his escape, his group, Atzerodt, Powell, Herold, and Booth just had one way to get away. Although this may have been the fact only Herold and Booth had successfully followed the path. Atzerodt and Powell had to find a different way in getting away due to the circumstances they were
After that, the book speaks to how John Wilkes Booth and his accomplices planned and executed the assassination of President Lincoln. The book then details John Wilkes Booth and his perils of getting away to a place where he can seek refuge from the manhunt. Next, Andrew Johnson is sworn in and takes the office ofhte presidency as the seventeenth president. Booth continues running for twelve days following the assassination of President Lincoln. It was on the twelfth day that Booth was apprehended in a tobacco warehouse on Garrett Farm. After setting the barn containing John Wilkes Booth ablaze, a firefight ensued. Though the soldiers were ordered not to kill John Wilkes Booth, a corpral named Boston Cobrett shot and killed John Wilkes Booth, claiming that God has instructed him to do it. With the head of the conspiracy dead, there were still other people that were somehow involved with the plot to assassinate Lincoln, Mary Surratt, David Herald, George Atzerodt, and Lewis Powell faced trial on July 6, 1865, and were all four hanged on July 7,
History class to many falls as a boring lesson, memorizing facts nobody will use in life. The day America got it’s independence, the dates of the end of World War 1 and 2. These facts may seem useless, but behind each one, their is a story with so many valiant people, a story with people who must be forever condemned, and facts that we can always use. In the book, Chasing Lincoln’s Killer, written by James L. Swanson, there is one such story about the death of Abraham Lincoln and the manhunt that followed. What is really important about this story is that there are heroes, who should be remembered, and attackers whose actions must always be condemned. Most importantly, this book shows how many people worked together in order to catch the escapees
The feeling of change, is one many are afraid of. Moreover, the possibility of moving on from the style of one life into the unknown world where they are vulnerable, is frightening to many, unthinkable to some. After the Civil War, hundreds of thousands of Southerners refused to believe in a world where African Americans were also citizens of the Union, one where they were all men were free. While most maintained peace in order to prevent more mayhem, some decided to act out. John Wilkes Booth was one of these such men, and he demonstrated his anger through murder. Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln on April 15th, 1865 .The book, Chasing Lincoln’s Killer, written by James L. Swanson reports the anger felt by Booth, in addition to the manhunt that followed, and the shocked nation left behind. The magnitude of emotions felt by Booth leads him to this traitorous act, and this text shows a lot about the how people react to change in their life, because of fear of change, and the annoyance of a new system. Most importantly this text shows us how even through the pain from the worst, there is always a better door in life, waiting to be opened.
Davis claimed that he was not happy that Lincoln had been assassinated even though one man claimed he was. Lincoln was fair to the South and was respected in the North. His successor did not respect the South like Lincoln did and the people of the North did not respect him. Reconstruction would have been much smoother if Lincoln was still president. He would have been fair and treated them as equals while Lincoln’s successor Andrew Johnson vetoed crucial bills. Lincoln would have handled reconstruction better, and the South would have benefited from it. So there was no reason for Davis to want Lincoln to be dead. The next document is a letter from Carl Schurz to a newspaper about the mindset the people of Savanna Georgia have. He stated that
Booth then came up with a desperate plan in order to save the past. When Lincoln had won the civil war Booth then wanted to kill
John Wilkes Booth was in the side of the South, he hated Lincoln and everything he was doing to stop slavery and hated him for winning the war. On the night of April 11, a torchlight parade of a few thousand people, and one of them was Booth, right below Lincoln. Booth spoke to Lewis Powell: “That is the last speech he will ever give”. Booth threaten to kill the president, Abraham Lincoln. Not all American changed their way of thinking about black Americans, Booth didn’t want slaves to have rights.
Furthermore, Booth was becoming interested in the Southern thinking of the Union’s president Lincoln. In the first week of March 1864 General Judson Kilpatrick led an ambush from the North while Colonel Ulric Dahlgren came in from the South towards Richmond, Virginia. This was to release 100 Union prisoners from the prison there. The battle was a complete bust and even worse was the papers found on Colonel Dahlgren. “...Some historians claim eventually led to the death of Abraham Lincoln” Many of the Southern people hated hearing about these papers because Lincoln was supposed to give peace to them, not war.
He was furious when the North beat the South and Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation, which meant that all slaves shall be free by the end of the war. He was a big supporter of the South as well as slavery and wanted revenge for the surrender of the South. In “Chasing Lincoln's Killer,” Booth had said, “I'm tired of all these kids waving the American flag” (Swanson 5 ). He had strongly supported slavery and was a racist figure in history. After the Proclamation was announced, Booth made a promise to God saying that he would kill the president. The four main targets for Booth’s assassination plot were General Ulysses Grant, Secretary of State William Seward, Vice President Andrew Johnson, and the main one President Lincoln. Grant didn't want to go to the play, and so he didn't show
First, Booth thought Lincoln was a tyrant and should be killed. After Booth shot President Lincoln he jumped off stage and yelled “Sic semper tyrannis! (Thus ever to tyrants) The south is avenged!” This shows that Booth thinks Lincoln is a tyrant. Also
He ardently supported the institution of slavery and joined a Virginia company that helped capture abolitionist John Brown after the raid at Harper’s Ferry. Booth was present as an eyewitness at Brown’s 1859 execution and stood near a scaffold to guard against any attempt to rescue John Brown before the hanging. Booth was arrested in the spring of 1862 and taken before a provost marshal in St. Louis for making anti-government remarks. Booth tried to gain the respect of fellow Southerners by making a name for himself as an antislavery and anti-Union supporter and making himself be seen at and witness the anti-Union protests and events that were going on. He wanted to make it apparent, as he told his sister Asia, that his “soul, life, and possessions are for the South,” and gain a formidable amount of fame from both acting and politics. Booth hoped rise to stardom amongst Southerners as their advocate that was willing to dedicate his life to their cause to stop the abolishment of
John Wilkes Booth, born May 10, 1838, was an actor who performed throughout the country in many plays. He was the lead in some of William Shakespeare's most famous works. Additionally, he was a racist and Southern sympathizer during the Civil War. He hated Abraham Lincoln who represented everything Booth was against. Booth blamed Lincoln for all the South's ills. He wanted revenge.
"By the time Lincoln took the oath of office on March 4, 1861, he addressed a divided nation" (Ch. 5 pg. 164). The United States was going through hard times of dealing with slavery in the 1800’s. Slavery was the hot topic in politics of that time period just as the debate over abortion or gay marriage is today. The issue over slavery really grew in the early 1860’s; around the time President Abraham Lincoln took office. Lincoln became president and kept his own personal beliefs about slavery to himself. As his career as president progressed, he embraced the beliefs of Henry Clay and made it clear to everyone how he felt about slavery. The authors purpose to
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States of America. He was elected into presidency on November 6, 1860. Many of the southern states were unsupportive of Lincoln becoming president because he had run on an anti-slavery platform. Lincoln being elected into presidency caused states such as South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas to split from the Union. In his inaugural address Lincoln proclaimed it was his duty to maintain the Union; a month later the Civil War began. Although Lincoln did many great things for our country, his vital role in the Civil War is what most likely lead to his assassination.
Killing Lincoln is nonfiction work of Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. It takes place during the last crucial battles of the Civil War which also happens to the two weeks leading up unto President Lincoln’s shocking assassination. Through the first part of the book the authors give exhilarating details as Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee partake in the last major battles of the Civil War. O'Reilly and Dugard turn these historic battles into scenes that are interesting and thrilling. Along with receiving an insight to the battle plans of the Confederate and Union generals, the readers is given quotes that soldiers would later write about this vicious war.