Sic Semper Tyrannis!

“.. During the third act, the President and Mrs. Lincoln drew closer together, holding hands while enjoying the play. Behind them, the door opened and a man stepped into the box. Pointing a derringer at the back of Lincoln's head, he pulled the trigger.” (Congress). Who would dare assassinate the President of the United States after the war was over, and why? This monumental event refueled a feud between the North and South. History gives us a compass as we explore why and who committed the crime and what resulted from that dreadful night.

Born in Maryland on May 10, 1838, John Wilkes Booth was born. Booth was born to a famer father Junius Brutus Booth. Junius Booth was an Actor, a trait that his son would pick up in his late teen years. The charisma and handsome physical features propelled John Booth to national stardom, earning him access to many different places in the North. The Acting would be a gateway to a plot that would be known throughout history. After some successful shows and stardom, John Booth contracted an illness that would force him out of the limelight and into the political arena.

This political stint would include joining the no-nothing party in support of limiting immigration and showed support for slavery. (Biography) John Booth’s allegiance to the confederacy was very strong, considering that he was a secret agent for the south. John’s allegiance for the south and daring mind prompted his plot to kidnap the president to help the South during the war. Originally his plan for kidnapping the President was to free Confederate soldiers trapped in prisoner of war camps of the north. Fortunately, the attempt in Washington D.C. in March of 1865 was unsuccessful.

In the time following the failed kidnap attempt, John Booth’s motives turn from kidnapping to assassination. On April 9th 1865 General Robert E. Lee surrendered, making President the winner of the Civil War. “When he (John Booth) heard Lincoln endorse black suffrage on April 11,...