Abraham Lincoln's Assassination

Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865, by John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer, while attending a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Booth believed that killing Lincoln would aid the South in its defeat during the Civil War. He shot Lincoln in the back of the head and then fled the scene. Lincoln died the next day, making him the first U.S. president to be assassinated. Booth was pursued and killed twelve days later. Lincoln's death had a profound impact on the nation, complicating the post-war reconciliation process.