Civilisation anglophone | Lincoln’s Assassination
Painting description
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We have here a painting depicting the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. In the painting, the president and his wife can be seen. They were attending a play “Our American Cousin” at a theatre in Washington DC. It is worth mentioning that at the beginning his wife did not want to go because she had a headache. However, Lincoln said he had promised to go. The scene is set just after the end of the Civil War (1861-1864) and the abolition of slavery (1865 - 13th Amendment). The assassination took place on the evening of the 14th of April 1865.
Painting based on the depiction from a mechanical glass slide by T. M. McAllister of New York, c1865-75
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The murderer, named John Wilkes Booth, was born in Maryland. He was a famous actor and strong supporter of the south during the Civil War. He was indeed against the abolition of slavery. The police officer who was in charge of Lincoln’s security was John Parker. During intermission, John Parker left the theatre and went to the local pub to drink. John Booth entered the theatre and went to where the president was sitting. Booth opened the door and shot Lincoln in the head. He then ran away but was arrested a few days later and killed. 10,000 soldiers were sent to track down the assassin. President Lincoln passed away the next morning at the age of 56.
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Article extrait du magazine
"La Grande Histoire des Etats-Unis" | Numéro 26 octobre-décembre 2016 La rapidité et la sévérité de la justice et la reddition des derniers généraux sudistes sonnent le glas des radicaux confédérés. L'attentat de Booth a eu l'effet inverse de ce qu'il souhaiter : Lincoln est devenu un héros mythique des États-Unis et une référence incontournable pour tout politicien américain. [La Grande Histoire des Etats-Unis] |
A copy of a 1865 lithographic print by Currier & Ives provided by the U.S. Library of Congress shows John Wilkes Booth shooting U.S. President Abraham Lincoln as he sits in the presidential box at Ford's Theatre in Washington April 14, 1865. | Library of Congress / Reuters
The headline of The National News reports on the shooting of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in Washington on April 14, 1865. | Library of Congress / Reuters
