72: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

“Sic semper tyrannis!”

This is the story of deception. Conspiracy. Assassination.

The handsome, 26-year-old successful actor John Wilkes Booth has sympathized with the Confederacy since the war began. So when Abraham Lincoln wins reelection as President of the United States amid several crucial late-1864 victories, John becomes enraged. He decides to kidnap President Lincoln.

But as John’s attempts at kidnapping fail, things go worse for the CSA. By April 1865, it’s over for the Confederacy. Then Lincoln says something in a speech that throws John completely over the edge: the gangly president suggests that the United States enact limited, black male suffrage.

John’s ready to go far further than kidnapping. And so, on the night of April 14, the famous actor will take on the biggest, most consequential role of his life … at Washington City’s Ford Theatre.
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“Sic semper tyrannis!”

This is the story of deception. Conspiracy. Assassination.

The handsome, 26-year-old successful actor John Wilkes Booth has sympathized with the Confederacy since the war began. So when Abraham Lincoln wins reelection as President of the United States amid several crucial late-1864 victories, John becomes enraged. He decides to kidnap President Lincoln.

But as John’s attempts at kidnapping fail, things go worse for the CSA. By April 1865, it’s over for the Confederacy. Then Lincoln says something in a speech that throws John completely over the edge: the gangly president suggests that the United States enact limited, black male suffrage.

John’s ready to go far further than kidnapping. And so, on the night of April 14, the famous actor will take on the biggest, most consequential role of his life … at Washington City’s Ford Theatre.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices