Abraham Lincoln’s assassination remains a pivotal moment in American history, etched in public memory as a tragedy that struck as the nation began to heal from the Civil War. While John Wilkes Booth is universally known as the assassin, the underlying reasons for his heinous act are often simplified. Digging deeper reveals a motive far more complex than mere political disagreement, one rooted in racial ideology and a desperate attempt to preserve a crumbling social order.
Shortly after the Civil War neared its conclusion, President Lincoln delivered a speech advocating for voting rights for Black men, particularly veterans who had served in the Union Army. This proposition ignited fury in John Wilkes Booth, a staunch supporter of the Confederacy and white supremacy, who was present in the audience. Overhearing Lincoln’s words, Booth reportedly declared, “That is the last speech he will ever make,” foreshadowing the deadly act he would commit just three days later. Susannah Koerber, chief curator at the Indiana State Museum, notes that while Booth’s declaration is known to Lincoln scholars, the public often overlooks the direct link between Lincoln’s evolving stance on Black rights and Booth’s decision to assassinate him.
On the evening of April 14, 1865, Booth carried out his threat, shooting Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre. The President succumbed to his injuries the following morning. This act of violence occurred in the immediate aftermath of the Confederate surrender at Appomattox, as the nation grappled with the immense changes brought about by the Union victory and the abolition of slavery.
Booth’s actions were not impulsive. He had initially been involved in a plot to kidnap Lincoln, aiming to leverage him for Confederate gains. However, even with the Confederacy’s defeat imminent, Booth’s commitment to white supremacy fueled his resolve to kill Lincoln. He fundamentally opposed the idea of racial equality, viewing it as a threat to the social hierarchy he believed in. The Confederacy itself, as Koerber points out, had explicitly based its foundation on the principle of slavery and racial inequality. Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens, in his Cornerstone Speech, openly rejected the Declaration of Independence’s assertion that “all men are created equal,” deeming it a foundational error.
This stark rejection of equality stood in direct opposition to Lincoln’s evolving beliefs and the aspirations of the Black community. For African Americans, the Declaration’s promise of equality was a beacon of hope, a principle they fought to realize. Lincoln, particularly in his later years, increasingly embraced this vision, moving beyond simply preserving the Union to advocating for a more just and equitable society. Booth’s violent reaction was intrinsically linked to his fervent support for the Confederacy and its ideology of racial hierarchy.
Frederick Douglass, the renowned abolitionist and orator, eloquently captured Lincoln’s significance in his eulogy. Douglass stated that Lincoln was “the first American president who rose above the prejudices of his time and country,” recognizing him as “emphatically the Black man’s president, the first to show any respect for their rights as men.” Lincoln’s assassination, therefore, was not merely a political act, but a tragic consequence of his courageous stance against racial injustice and his growing commitment to equality, a commitment that ultimately cost him his life.
