The Death of the President

On today's date in in 1865 shortly before 8 am, President Abraham Lincoln died from a gunshot wound to the head. He would be the first president assassinated. He was only 56 years old. Wide Mary Todd Lincoln was not present having been banished from the room after she became overly distraught. Lincoln had been shot by John Wilkes Booth the previous night while attending a play in Ford's Theatre. Following his death, Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton told the room "Now he belongs to the ages/angels." There is some debate over which one he said though both are true. It is also true that Lincoln dreamed about his death three days before it happened.




The American Civil War had ended only five days earlier with the surrender of Robert E. Lee in Virginia. Wilkes had originally planned to only kidnap Lincoln but a speech only a few days before changed his mind. Booth was staunch Southern and Confederate sympathizer and would often rail against Lincoln and his government.

Lincoln was not the only target of the assassination plot. Wilkes and his group of conspirators planned to assassinate Secretary of State William H. Seward and Vice President Andrew Johnson as well. Union General Ulysses S. Grant was also a target. Seward was injured in his home along with various family members and servants while Johnson was not even attacked as would-be assassin George Atzerodt got drunk and chickened out. Johnson would then become president and would end up being one of the least successful and one of the least liked.

Lincoln's presidency and really his assassination changed everything for the United States. Slavery was abolished and a divided nation became whole again at least in name, surviving a war intact that would have destroyed the United States. It is also a possibility that by killing Lincoln, Booth may have condemned his beloved South to a crushing Reconstruction. Could Lincoln have been more forgiving and gentle in his ideas of recovery after the Civil War? We will never know. Despite all this and unfortunately it was a long time before African Americans were granted full rights and equality. I'm shamed to say there is still racism even today and still a division among the North and the South. Regardless, I think Lincoln would have been proud that the United States has elected an African American president.

Lincoln's legacy continues even today, 148 years after his death. This year has brought renewed interest in Lincoln with the release of 'Lincoln' by esteemed and legendary director Steven Spielberg. The movie does not focus on Lincoln's death but instead on the month spent trying to get the 13th amendment passed. The movie won two Academy Awards including one for Daniel Day-Lewis for Best Actor for his portrayal of Lincoln. I highly recommend the movie for those interested. My favorite parts are probably the scenes in the House of the Representatives. Those men didn't hold back on their opinions and actually argued and said their mind. It certainly wasn't as formal as it is now, where they argue in the news instead of having actual debates. Anyway, there no action or battle scenes so if that's more your thing, you might find it boring but if you like a battle of the minds or history or Lincoln or just a good movie, then definitely check it out.