Question

Who is John Booth and why did he kill Abrham Lincoln and what was the reason why he did it?

Answer 1

John Wilkes Booth was an American actor and militiaman who killed Lincoln because of his white supremacist beliefs.

Explanation:

John Booth was an actor from Maryland who was born in `1838`. He is most known for his assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

Booth and his numerous siblings were raised on a farm operated by slaves. This established a strong support of slavery in Booth from a young age. When he was `17`, he began his career as an actor. Interestingly, Lincoln watched a performance of The Marble Heart featuring Booth.

In the `1850`s, Booth began to have more political interest. He supported the Know-Nothing Party, the main goal of which was to reduce immigration in America. As a white man raised in the southern United States, he supported slavery and opposed the northern ways. In `1859`, he joined a Virginian militia that aided in the capture of John Brown.

Booth originally orchestrated a plan to kidnap President Lincoln, but it failed. So, he created a new plan to assassinate the leader. In April of `1865,` he shot the president at an evening play at Ford Theatre in Washington, D.C.

His motives have since become clear. Lincoln had been reelected to the presidency in `1864.` During his first years in office, he had taken anti-slavery actions that many Southerners, including Booth, strongly opposed, such as the Emancipation Proclamation. When he was reelected, many in the South felt threatened.

On April `11` of `1865,` Lincoln gave a speech regarding the April `9` surrender of the Southern army. The talk included a message that opposed slavery and promises to pursue liberation for enslaved people. This enraged Booth, who felt that his traditional way of life was being threatened. This caused him to plan and carry out the assassination.

After the shooting, Booth jumped onto the stage at the theatre. He shouted, 'Sic temper tyrannis!' This roughly translates to 'thusever to tyrants.' He also yelled that the 'South is avenged!' His words show the anti-North and pro-slavery opinions behind his actions.