John Wilkes Booth

John Wilkes Booth was an American actor and Confederate sympathizer best known for assassinating President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865. Booth, who opposed Lincoln's policies, believed he could revive the Confederate cause by killing the president. He shot Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., during a play. Afterward, Booth fled and was pursued by federal authorities. He was killed on April 26, 1865, in a standoff in Virginia. His actions had a profound effect on the nation, marking a tragic moment in American history just as the Civil War was coming to an end.