John Wilkes Booth Research Paper

John Wilkes Booth

John Wilkes Booth was born in May 10, 1838 in Bel-Air, Maryland. He was known for being an American actor that played in Shakespearean plays. He had went that path because also his father was an actor in Shakespearean also his mother. He is mostly known for being the murderer of Abraham Lincoln during one of his performances in Ford’s Theater in Washington.

As a young boy he was very into theater and acting and had been a member of the Richmond Theater and his career had taken off. A physical look that he had5 ’8 feet tall with black hair and was athletic. He was also very good at being a swordsman. During the time of 1859 he was preparing for a theatrical act and a few weeks before the execution of the abolitionist John Brown. He was going to be hanged in Charles Town in Virginia. When John Wilkes heard this he decided to go as a state officer and stood guard in front of the place where John Brown was being hanged. John Wilkes was all against any abolitionist and he repealed them.
In November 6, 1860 Lincoln was elected president of the Unites States and booth made it clear to everyone that he saw Northern abolitionism as to what Lincoln would say about having more votes about freeing slaves from the states.
Booth supported the South states and the institution of slavery. Soon enough the Civil War had started by April 12, 1861. Much of the south of the United States had separated from the Union and Booth was much upset and knew Lincoln was behind this separation. Booth had hatred against Lincoln since he first knew he was elected. He saw Lincoln did an abuse of absolute power over the country. He didn’t join the army even when the war was happening and just kept being a performer from north to south. Lincoln would visit the theater in which Booth worked in and was a witness of what Booth would do. Lincoln wanted to meet the actor but Booth would refuse since he wasn’t much of a fan of the new
president.

By 1864 the war was in favor of the North side and by this time Booth was thinking to kidnap Lincoln for an exchange on 10,000 southern army men captured by the North. He would not be doing this on his own but other well known friends he had would also help him on this kidnapping. Booth was sure this would work but the time was not right and failed hi attempt to kidnap Lincoln. Booth continued to reach his goal to attacking Lincoln in some way. Finally Booth was informed Lincoln was going to attend one of the plays but soon heard he had change of plans and never attended. At found the finally shot Lincoln behind the head in the presidential box where Lincoln and his wife were. John ran from the scene with a broken leg but Lincoln still survived for a day. John Wilkes since then was being tracked and was sentenced death when found. On April 26, 1865 the soldiers that were looking for him had caught up to him in a tobacco barn. Sergeant Boston Corbett shot Booth fro going against the orders of burning the barn. Booth was fatally wounded on the neck and died at age 26. Later on the rest of the conspirators that were involved in Booth’s plan to kill Lincoln were hanged shortly after. Booth now lies in a unmarked location at Greenmount Cemetery in Baltimore.