Unveiling Lincoln’s Conspiracy: From Booth to Emancipation

In a new book and Fox Nation special titled “The President is Dead,” historian Brad Meltzer delves into the initial plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. This story takes us back to April 26, 1865 when John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate supporter, was fatally shot by Union soldiers in Virginia after he murdered Lincoln during a performance at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C. On April 14, 1865. After entering the theater box without a bodyguard and shooting President Abraham Lincoln point blank with a derringer pistol while watching “Our American Cousin,” Booth fled through an exit to escape on horseback with his accomplice David Herold after breaking his leg when jumping off the stage in pursuit of freedom for the Confederacy. After Booth’s death, four co-conspirators including Lewis Powell and Mary Surratt were hanged at Old Penitentiary in July 1865. Lincoln delivered a historic speech known as the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863 that declared forever free those slaves within the Confederacy during his tenure from 1861 to 1865 when he issued Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. Meltzer’s new work highlights how close we came to altering America’s social trajectory had Lincoln survived for a second term as President, which would have led to vastly different outcomes for the nation post-Civil War period, with much conjecture regarding potential courses of events had that scenario taken place. The story ends on May 4, 1865 when Lincoln’s mortal remains were interred at Springfield Illinois’ Lincolntomb as a testament to his enduring legacy and the momentous achievements he accomplished during his time in office – successfully preserving the Union, ending slavery, and paving the way for social freedom opportunities that benefited African Americans.