On April 14, 1865 our sixteenth president was assassinated. President Abraham Lincoln was attending a comedy entitled "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C. when "A shadowy figure stepped into the box, stretched out his arm, aimed a small derringer pistol at the back of Lincoln's head, and pulled the trigger" (Freedman 123). Clara Harris, Henry Rathbone, And Mary Todd (Lincoln's wife) all accompanied Lincoln in the state box that night; and they were all witnesses to this brutal crime ("Overview of Assassination"[Online]). The figure in the box that night was John Wilkes Booth. Booth, unscathed except for a broken leg, suffered after jumping eleven feet to the stage, escaped quickly before anyone could react to his performance ("Overview of Assassination"[Online]). It seems as if the events leading to this fateful day may have been premonitions of what was to come. The many changes of plans, Lincoln's security, and the incapability to recognize the many clues left by Booth all contributed to the successful assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
To begin with, there were many changes of the plan made that played right into the hands of the assassin. The President was supposed to be viewing a play at a distant hospital on March 17, 1865, but at the last minute decided to stay in Washington ("Overview of Assassination"[online]). Booth had originally decided to kidnap Lincoln, but in the situation above, he could never find the right opportunity. An already irate Booth became even more outraged by Lincoln's speech on April 11, proposing that voting rights be given to blacks. Thus, Booth schemed and plotted to assassinate Lincoln instead ("Summary of Assassination"[online]). Then, prior to attending the play at Ford's Theatre with Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant suddenly left town to visit his children("Overview of Assassination"[online]). Once again, it was another change made that allowed for easier access to the President.
