Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

The killing of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865; Lincoln died the following morning.

John Wilkes Booth: An American stage actor and Confederate sympathizer who assassinated Abraham Lincoln. Booth shot Lincoln and organized attacks on other Union leaders that night.
American Civil War: A war fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865 between the Union and the Confederacy. The conflict gave Booth his political cause and defined the crisis surrounding the assassination.
Andrew Johnson: The 17th president of the United States, succeeding Abraham Lincoln after his assassination. Johnson assumed the presidency on April 15, 1865, and shaped the first phase of Reconstruction.
Booth's escape route: The route John Wilkes Booth and David Herold took from Washington, D.C., through Maryland into Virginia after the assassination. It traces the pursuit that ended with Booth’s death at Richard Garrett’s farm.
Ford's Theatre: A historic Washington, D.C., theater where John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was watching a play here when Booth entered the presidential box.
Confederate States of America: A breakaway republic formed by eleven Southern states from 1861 to 1865. Booth supported the Confederacy and initially sought to aid its war effort.
Reconstruction era: The period after the American Civil War when the United States addressed the former Confederacy and emancipation. Lincoln’s death left Reconstruction policy in the hands of Andrew Johnson and Congress.
Surratt Tavern: A historic Maryland tavern associated with John Wilkes Booth’s escape after Lincoln’s assassination. Booth and Herold stopped here as they fled south from Washington.
Our American Cousin: A comedy by Tom Taylor that premiered in 1858 and became popular in the United States. Its performance at Ford’s Theatre gave Booth a familiar line to mask the gunshot.
Appomattox Campaign: The final campaign of the American Civil War, ending with Robert E. Lee’s surrender in April 1865. The Confederacy’s collapse helped shift Booth’s plot from abduction to murder.

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O Captain! My Captain!Broader topic: Lincoln’s assassination is the historical loss beneath the captain’s death.