مواطن

April 14, 1865: President Lincoln is Assassinated

On this day in 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was fatally shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending a play at the Ford’s Theatre. Booth planned the assassination and hoped to spark support for the Confederates. This occurred days after the end of the Civil War, where the Confederate Army surrendered at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. President Lincoln entered into a coma, but unfortunately passed away the next day. On April 20th, a funeral was held for President Lincoln at the White House. Two days later, Lincoln’s funeral train departed from Washington, D.C. where it traveled around the U.S. for twelve days giving Americans an opportunity to mourn the loss of one of America’s greatest presidents.  Learn more about the moments building up to Lincoln’s assassination and the events following it with American Experience’s timeline. 

On this day in 1861, General Pierre G.T. Beauregard opened fire on Fort Sumter and remained there for thirty-three hours until the fort was surrendered. 

Early on, the southern states wanted to secede from the nation due to conflicting opinions regarding slavery between the north and south. Once Abraham Lincoln was elected, it incited the southern states to secede and form the Confederate States of America. When the Confederates took over Fort Sumter, President Lincoln declared war.  

The Civil War lasted until 1865 with about 620,000 casualties. 

Samer Issawi

250 days of steadfastness, 20 years of Oslo.