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Why Is John Wilkes Booth A Zealot

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Why Is John Wilkes Booth A Zealot
John Wilkes booth was a simple man. He was described by many to be an incredible actor. What he kept hidden from everyone close to him was his love for the south. He hated the north and the policies they were putting in place. He believed it was the black man’s destiny to be reigned over by the white man. The north and Abraham Lincoln thought otherwise. It was these differing values that brought John Wilkes Booth to kill Abraham Lincoln. Based on evidence in the book I believe John Wilkes Booth was a strong patriot of the South and certainly a zealot. He was not a madman or mentally insane, he was just a very strong supporter of the south. The book describes his motives for killing Lincoln as just pure hatred for the man and his policies. His original plan was to kidnap the president and smuggle him across the Potomac River to the south where they would be able to demand whatever they wanted from the north in exchange for their president. After learning that the north had won the war this ignited Booth to change his plans to black flag warfare. He hoped …show more content…
He knew the exact times he needed to be where and when. He was fortunate enough to overhear fellow actors in fords theatre talking about how the president was going to be there. This allowed him to be able to focus on the one place Lincoln would be. He had performed at Ford’s many times and knew the passageways and stairways well. He devised the perfect entrance and escape and executed it the exact way he wanted to. I do not believe a madman would be able to design such an intricate plan and execute it in such a timely manner. Because he was so zealous for the southern cause he wanted to make sure everything was planned perfectly and it did. He accomplished his goal in killing Lincoln and escaping the city however the way the assignation was received flabbergasting to

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