How Did Abraham Lincoln's Assassination Effects On America

Abraham Lincoln's Assassination and the Effects on America Abraham Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” This quote said by Lincoln describes his preparation towards many of his tasks as the president of the United States; however, nothing could prepare Lincoln for what happened on April 14, 1865. Lincoln’s assassination took place days after Robert E. Lee and the Confederate army surrendered to the Union at Appomattox Court House. The assassination was carried out by a man named John Wilkes Booth. Booth was a fan favorite actor that many people enjoyed, but he was from the South and it did not sit well when Lincoln wanted to abolish slavery, so he took matters into

The assassination would take place at Ford’s Theatre at the comedy Our American Cousin. Booth had conjured up the perfect plan, and his task to kill the president succeeded fairly easily. Booth entered Lincoln’s seating area that was basically unguarded. Booth had previously seen the play and knew a part that would make people laugh, and at that moment, Booth shot Lincoln in the back of the head with a .44 calibre derringer, and had stabbed the only bodyguard in the room. Booth jumped out of the box and onto the stage below while shouting, “Sic Semper tyrannis” which translates to, “The South is avenged.” Lincoln’s death was sure to have some jumping for joy, and others that would mourn for days to come. Ultimately, Lincoln’s assassination affected America: it hindered Reconstruction, it had an emotional effect on America, it made the White House increase security, it was the first time the vice president had to take over after an assassination, and

The Radical Republicans had control in Congress following the Civil War. The Radicals thought it was time to punish the South while Lincoln looked at Reconstruction as a time for healing and rebuilding the nation as one. Lincoln looked at it like the South was the North’s dumb little brother and that even though the little kid made a stupid mistake, the North had to accept them back into the family. The Reconstruction period happened right after Lincoln’s assassination which was bad news for the South. Lincoln might have been able to control the Radical Republicans, but with a vice president taking over office there was not a chance the Radicals could be controlled. Johnson took over as president and tried to go straight to work on his Reconstruction plan that was similar to Lincoln’s. The Radicals had something else in mind. The Radicals were not going to listen to a former southern governor and what he had to say. Johnson wanted amnesty, while the Radicals wanted anarchy. Anarchy is just what the Radicals got, and maybe they got a little too much. Southern states passed the Jim Crow laws or, “black codes”, which limited the rights of African Americans in southern states. For example, blacks had certain housing areas, they also could not use the same buildings as whites, and they also could not marry a white person. Congress ended up not enjoying the