The Chaos Begins
Ever since Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth was a child, he had wanted to make a name for himself in history by defeating someone great. During the Civil War, Booth decided that his time had come. He decided to make an effort to raise the dwindling Southern support. For months, Booth planned, recruited accomplices, and planned some more. After countless changed plans, Booth finally came up with one that would work.
On April 14th, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln attended a showing of Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre with his wife, Mary, and another couple. During the show, Booth snuck into the Presidential Box and, after the audience began to laugh at a particularly comical moment in the play, shot the President with a bullet that went directly into his brain. About nine hours later, President Abraham Lincoln died.
Thesis Statement
The event was revolutionary in that it eliminated the prime candidate for leading the Reconstruction process, leaving an unexperienced man in charge of something that had never been done before. The reaction was one of chaos as President Johnson and the Radical Republicans fought over how to reconstruct the nation and the South struggled to rebuild itself. The political environment was reformed throughout the process as Johnson was impeached and the Radical Republicans took over the Reconstruction process.
By Olivia J.
On April 14th, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln attended a showing of Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre with his wife, Mary, and another couple. During the show, Booth snuck into the Presidential Box and, after the audience began to laugh at a particularly comical moment in the play, shot the President with a bullet that went directly into his brain. About nine hours later, President Abraham Lincoln died.
Thesis Statement
The event was revolutionary in that it eliminated the prime candidate for leading the Reconstruction process, leaving an unexperienced man in charge of something that had never been done before. The reaction was one of chaos as President Johnson and the Radical Republicans fought over how to reconstruct the nation and the South struggled to rebuild itself. The political environment was reformed throughout the process as Johnson was impeached and the Radical Republicans took over the Reconstruction process.
By Olivia J.
