On the evening of April 14, 1865, just days after the end of the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln was shot by actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. The President died the next morning, April 15th, making him the first American president to be assassinated. Today marks the 160th anniversary of that fateful event—one that forever altered the course of American history.
The Civil War had effectively ended just five days earlier, on April 9th, 1865, with Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House. Lincoln, having led the Union through its darkest hour, was now focused on healing the nation. In his second inaugural address just weeks before, he famously urged Americans to proceed “with malice toward none, with charity for all.”
John Wilkes Booth, a well-known actor and staunch Confederate supporter, viewed Lincoln as a tyrant and the root of the South’s destruction. Fueled by anger and extremist ideology, Booth devised a plot not only to kill Lincoln but also to assassinate key members of his administration, including Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William Seward, in a desperate attempt to throw the U.S. government into disarray.
On the night of April 14th, Lincoln attended a performance of Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre. At approximately 10:15 p.m., Booth entered the President’s box and shot Lincoln in the back of the head at close range. Booth then leapt to the stage, reportedly shouting “Sic semper tyrannis!”—Latin for “Thus always to tyrants”—before fleeing the theater.
Lincoln was carried across the street to the Petersen House, where he succumbed to his injuries at 7:22 a.m. the next day. His death plunged the nation into profound grief. As word spread, thousands gathered in silence outside the White House and across the country to mourn the loss of a leader who had preserved the Union and pushed to end slavery.
Booth remained on the run for 12 days before being tracked down and killed by Union soldiers in a Virginia barn on April 26th, 1865. Several of his co-conspirators were later captured, tried, and either executed or imprisoned.
Though his life was cut short, Lincoln’s legacy has endured for more than a century and a half. He is consistently ranked among America’s greatest presidents for his leadership, moral vision, and eloquence in guiding the country through its bloodiest conflict.
The site of his assassination, Ford’s Theatre, now serves as a national historic site and museum, reminding visitors of the high price of division—and the strength of unity.
As we mark 160 years since Lincoln’s assassination, we remember a man who held the Union together at its breaking point and paid the ultimate price for peace and principle. His words, actions, and sacrifice continue to shape the conscience of a nation.