Why Did John Wilkes Booth Kill Lincoln

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Booth assassinated President Lincoln for many reasons, but three of them had a larger impact on him then the rest. If you did not know, John Wilkes Booth was a Confederate supporter, and the assassin of President Lincoln, which got assassinated at Ford’s Theater on April 14, 1865. Booth was then caught after twelve days of hiding, running, and dodging manhunters. The three texts the information came from are the Last Diary Entry of John Wilkes Booth from commonlit.org, John Wilkes Booth Biography from biography.com, and Chasing Lincoln’s Killer. There were many factors that motivated John Wilkes Booth to assassinate President Lincoln. One of the main reasons is that President Lincoln was in control of the Union, which won the Civil War, despite Booth wanting the Confederacy to win. According to Chasing Lincoln’s Killer it …show more content…

According to the “Last Diary Entry of John Wilkes Booth”, it says “ I am in despair, and why? For doing what Brutus was honored for.” This is booth talking about how he took down a “tyrant” like Brutus did, but is being shown no forgiveness. Booth also says “ And yet I, for striking down a greater tyrant, am looked upon as a common cutthroat.” saying yet again, he is looked at like a murderer and not a hero. The final motive is that this was Booth doing God’s will. According to “Last Diary Entry of John Wilkes Booth” it says “ Our country owed all her troubles to him, and God simply made me the instrument of his punishment.” By saying that he was meaning that God basically made him assassinate Lincoln and there was no way out of doing it. It also says “ Was it crime in him?” That was Booth questioning if it was crime in himself or God. Overall, three main factors persuaded John Wilkes Booth more than the rest. The reasons listed might have been an answers to one of the most important assassinations in American history. This is Booth’s most outrageous act of his

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