“This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth,” stated Abraham Lincoln during his famous Gettysburg Address. Abraham Lincoln, known as Honest Abe, was the United States’ 16th president who served from 1861 until he was assassinated in 1865. As most of us know, Lincoln’s presidency took place during the Civil War era where he played a major role in the abolition of slavery. Some of the things Lincoln was known for from his presidency was when he issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, and when he delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863. As we can see, during that one year alone, his actions became historical events that are now being studied and remembered. Abraham Lincoln dedicated himself into paving the way for slavery’s abolition. The Emancipation Proclamation freed all of the enslaved people in the ungovernable states at the time. This issue later on, outlawed slavery causing the House of Representatives to pass the 13th amendment, abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude. This amendment was eventually passed after his death. During his presidency, 11 nations through the American Civil War were able to abolish slavery.
Lincoln was assassinated by confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth, who had a successful career as a famous actor. You may ask what made John Wilkes Booth want to kill Lincoln? As the war continued to its final stages, the plan to kidnap the president happened weeks before Lincoln was assassinated. Booth and several other associates had already
planned a plot to kidnap the president when Lincoln was to attend a play in March. The plan didn’t work out because Lincoln failed to appear at the place where Booth and several associates were waiting. On April 11th, Booth attended Lincoln's speech at the White House. Lincoln's speech was to promote voting rights for people of color. Being a supporter of the trades between slaves, Booth’s next plan was to shoot Abraham Lincoln dead. He then found out that Lincoln was to attend a performance at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC.
It all happened on the night of Good Friday, April 14, 1865. There, Lincoln occupied a private box above the stage with his wife. At about 10:15 pm, Booth slipped into the box and fired his pistol into the back of Lincoln's head. Lincoln was first helped by an army doctor Charles Leale then was brought into a boarding house by several soldiers to place Lincoln on a bed. A surgeon then arrived later on and concluded that Lincoln could not be saved. At the age of 56, Lincoln was then pronounced dead at 7:22 am on April 15, 1865. Lincoln became the first president in US history to be assassinated. The news of his death spread around the country so quickly and the nation mourned. The search for John Wilkes Booth was recorded as one of the largest manhunts in history. It was reported that about 10,000 federal troops, detectives, and police were involved to track down the assassin himself. Abraham Lincoln is now remembered as one of the greatest presidents in US history, and his legacy remains powerful for our society to this day
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