President Lincoln's Assassination

After we talked about Lincoln's Assassination a little bit in class, I did some more research and found some interesting things:

• Before: John Wilkes Booth was a famous actor and part of a conspiracy to revive the Confederate cause. Lincoln had even seen Booth in a play before, and liked his performance so much that he invited Booth to the White House, an invitation that Booth avoided. Once the war ended and Lincoln made a speech in support of former slaves, Booth was outraged an decided on assassination. Lincoln seemed to have premonitions about his death, and he told one of his friends that he had had a dream where he found out that he had been killed. He had dreams of himself being assassinated for three days in a row before the day of his death. His wife later said that "his dream was prophetic".
• Death: The Presidential Box that Lincoln was watching the play from was supposed to be guarded by a policeman, but during the play's intermission he went to a tavern and it is uncertain if he ever came back. Even if he had been there, however, Booth likely still would have been able to get into the box since he was such a renowned actor. Booth got into the box, shot Lincoln, and then after a struggle with Major Rathbone (who was watching the play with Lincoln), he jumped over the edge of the box and onto the stage. Much of the audience thought Booth was part of the play, but after he was chased off stage while yelling things to the audience, people began to realize that something bad was happening and panic then ensued. Lincoln, unconscious but still alive, was moved to the nearby Peterson House, where he was treated. He passed away the next morning.
• Aftermath: President Lincoln's death left a deep impact on the country as a whole. A long period of mourning followed after his death, in both the North and the South. His funeral procession lasted for 1,700 miles, and millions of people came out to see his body and the funeral train. Andrew Johnson took up the presidency following Lincoln's death, and he is widely regarded as one of the worst presidents in American history. There were quite a few conflicts in many cities against people who were in support of Booth. The United States headed more towards reconstruction, rather than the restoration that Lincoln most likely would have supported. Lincoln has now been memorialized in many different ways, and he still holds a lasting impression on the United States even after his death.