306
SIC SEMPER
TYRANNIS!
THE ASSASSINATION OF ABRAHAM
LINCOLN, 14 APRIL 1865
M
aryland native and well-
known actor John Wilkes
Booth became an
advocate of slavery after working in
Virginia. When the American Civil
War broke out in 1861, Booth
supported the Southern cause and
became a Confederate sympathizer.
During his tours of the nation’s
theatres, he worked undercover to
smuggle supplies to Confederate
troops. As the conflict deepened,
so did Booth’s loathing of the
abolitionists of the northern Union
states, and President Abraham
Lincoln in particular.
In March 1865, as the Civil War
entered its final throes, Booth and
several associates in Washington,
D.C. hatched a plot to kidnap the
president and take him to theIN CONTEXT
LOCATION
Washington, D.C., USTHEME
Political assassinationBEFORE
336 bce Philip II, king of
Macedonia, is assassinated
by one of his bodyguards,
Pausanias, for reasons that are
unknown. He is succeeded by
his son, Alexander the Great.AFTER
1995 Israeli prime minister
Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated
by a Jewish extremist while
attending a peace rally.2007 Benazir Bhutto, the
former prime minister of
Pakistan, and two dozen
others, are killed by a suicide
bomb at a political rally during
an election campaign.306-309_Lincoln_Assassination.indd 306 02/12/2016 15:05
307
See also: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy 316–21 ■ The Abduction of Aldo Moro 322–23Confederate capital, Richmond,
Virginia. Their plan was foiled on
9 Apri 1865, when Confederate
General Robert E. Lee surrendered
what was left of his army to Union
forces led by Ulysses S. Grant and
effectively ended the Civil War.
Booth heard the news of the
Confederacy’s collapse three days
later and was filled with a burning
desire to destroy the president.Death at the theatre
On the morning of 14 April, Booth
found out that Lincoln would be
attending a performance of the
comedy Our American Cousin
that evening at Ford’s Theatre.
Rounding up his co-conspirators,
he told them about his audacious
plan to create chaos at the heart
of government: the simultaneous
assassination of Lincoln, Vice
President Andrew Johnson, andSecretary of State William Seward.
Booth himself would deal with the
president and two of his associates
would kill the other politicians.
That evening at Ford’s Theatre,
Booth made his way to the private
box above the stage, where LincolnASSASSINATIONS AND POLITICAL PLOTS
Motives for Assassination
The term assassination refers
to the murder of a person (often
a public figure) by a surprise
attack. When political leaders
are assassinated, the motive is
their removal from power, so
assassins often act in response
to tyrannical rule.
Assassinations therefore
often occur in societies with
deep social and ideological rifts,
with lone assassins rising up
from the populace to violently
express their dissatisfaction
with the status quo.While many assassins work
alone, others operate within
insurgent groups with the
intention of causing disorder.
Some assassins target high-
profile figures whose beliefs they
disagree with. James Earl Ray
had racist motives for shooting
civil rights activist Dr Martin
Luther King Jr in 1968. Others,
however do not have a personal
or ideological vendetta: they are
simply guns for hire, paid by
powerful individuals or groups
to eliminate their enemies.Armed with a derringer pistol and
a hunting knife, Booth arrived at Ford’s
Theatre at about 9:30 p.m. He had
a drink in a nearby saloon and then
fatally shot the president.and his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln,
were watching the play with two
guests. He found it unprotected –
John F. Parker of the Washington
police had escorted Lincoln to the
venue, but he was not standing
guard when Booth arrived. Some
accounts suggest that Parker may
have slipped off for a drink. At
about 10:15pm, Booth went into the
box and barred the door. ❯❯The ballot is stronger
than the bullet.
Abraham Lincoln306-309_Lincoln_Assassination.indd 307 02/12/2016 15:05