John+Wilkes+Booth+Conspiracy

=How might the history of our country be different if the full assassination conspiracy of John Wilkes Booth and his accomplices had been carried out? ~by AG-SOTH and NW-SOTH =

[|John Wilkes Booth's last diary entry]

During the Civil War, Lincoln was despised by many people, including those in the North. However, many soldiers that fought for the North loved their president. Lincoln would often come as often as possible and visit the wounded. The army and Navy both held Lincoln in high esteem. After the war, many people who were against Lincoln began to praise him like a hero for pulling them through the war. There were some Southerners, however, that were disgusted at Lincoln and felt that he was poisoning the country. John Wilkes Booth was one of these people. He felt that he was doing God's bidding by killing Lincoln and started to plan his revenge.

[|"Our country owed all her troubles to him, and God simply made me an instrument to His punishment."]  //**writes John Wilkes Booth in a diary entry. ~AG-SOTH**//

John Wilkes Booth's original idea was to kidnap President Lincoln, and then hold him for ransom for captive Confederate soldiers in Union prison camps. The first attempt failed because at the last minute, Lincoln had decided to speak to one of the regiments in the Union army. The plan had been to capture him in his carriage, but when it didn't show up, the plan fell through. After this, many of Booth's fellow conspirators left, believing that it was no use. So, the original plan of Booth's had failed. If this plan hadn't failed, perhaps with the extra Confederate soldiers, the war would've gone on longer and maybe turned to favor the Confederacy. The full assassination plan of John Wilkes Booth also included the assassinations of vice-president Andrew Johnson and Secretary Seward. From what I know, only Lincoln was assassinated that night. Although it was tragic that Lincoln was killed, at least there was someone next in line to take over quickly (Andrew Johnston-vice pres.). Like certain battles in the Civil War, the assassination plan of John Wilkes Booth was also a turning point in American history. If his plan had succeeded, then this country might not be what it is today; one united country. When Lincoln was assassinated, it was only a few days after General Robert E. Lee had surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant. Even though the war was virtually over, Booth was still convinced that the Confederacy would survive if people "helped" out. He took it upon himself to redeem the lost Confederacy and believed that what he did or was going to do was in their best interests. -Quote from John Wilkes Booth's diary. ~NW-SOTH//** 
 * //[|"For six months we had worked to capture. But, our cause being a]//****//[|lmost lost, something decisive and great must be done."-]

//**Why is this important? **// Booth played a major part in American history. Having planned to kill the secretary of state, the vice president and the President himself, along with others, he could have put America in a very weak and vulnerable position that wasn't worth the revenge. What would have happened if his plans were carried out to the full extent? We can not know for sure, but we can make a fairly accurate guess. With the country without a real leader and everyone else in confusion and disorientation, along with just beginning to recover from the Civil War, this would have provided a prefect opportunity for foreign countries to come in and invade. Its like putting free candy out for kids. Each country will want more land and flock to the United States seeking more land and power. The United States would be too weak to defend, plus too distraught and confused to organize themselves. This could have started a chain reaction that would end by the United States being broken down and land divided into different countries. Different countries could have fought with one another for parts of the United States, especially Mexico, Great Britain and France, who had all claimed land sometime earlier in history. This would forever change our future. //**(AG-SOTH)**//

John Wilkes Booth did play a major part in American history, but his mark in history would've been much greater if his full plans had been carried out, successfully. Fortunately, he only managed to carry out a part of it. This, as everyone knows it, was the Lincoln Assassination. Since the final plan included the deaths of vice president Andrew Johnson, and the secretary of state William H. Seward. If all of these assassinations had been successful, no one could fill in for the president if the vice president was dead too. Even though there would've been someone else in line as a backup, the country looks up to the president as the leader and decision maker. If Lincoln died, then the country would've been thrown into confusion. This could have allowed some people in the south with hurt feelings to come forward and cause more problems. Also, as the United States (U.S) would be scrambling to get order, other countries could move in at the U.S's weak period without a president. But, seeing as this didn't happen, and only Lincoln had been killed, the position was filled again quickly, and everything Lincoln and the rest of the Union had worked towards was not lost. //**(NW-SOTH)**//

To my surprise, I learned that at first Booth did not want to assassinate the President. First Booth tried to kidnap Lincoln when he was riding to a Washington hospital to visit troops. This would have worked, but the Lincoln decided to go to another function last minute. Two days later, Lincoln gave a victory speech (Civil War had ended) and talked about the rights blacks would or should have. This infuriated Booth, who then changed plans from kidnapping Lincoln to killing him. The death of Lincoln shocked many people. However, some Confederate newspapers wrote that they did not grieve for the death of Lincoln and some were glad to see the President killed, which spiked the tension between the North and the South. The death of Lincoln affected the entire country. Even before the Civil War ended, Lincoln had a plan to reunite the country. However, since he was assassinated, there was no one to carry out his plans. His Vice President, Andrew Jackson, supported Lincoln's ideas but was not a strong enough leader to carry them out. Many people in the North hated the South even more after Lincoln, making it much harder to stitch the country back together. The North did not want to give the South any rights that belonged to the states and treated them harshly. The death of Lincoln threw the United States into confusion. //**(AG-SOTH)**//

//If Lincoln hadn't been assassinated, how would things have gone? //


Lincoln was already making plans to reunite the Union before the war even ended. His plans were to accept the South as brothers, not as traitors. If Lincoln wasn't assassinated, his plans of peace would have been carried out. Instead, the Radical Republicans got their way and treated the South cruelly. I think the North would have rebelled against Lincoln's plans of peace and try to stir up trouble. Otherwise, I think the country would have reunited easier and the economy wouldn't be as bad. The result of Lincoln's death made some people in the South to hope for a chance to break away from the Union again, and for the people in the North to feel even more against having the South reunite with the Union because of their grief and loss of loved ones. //**(AG-SOTH)**// [|More on people's reaction of the war and opinion of Lincoln]

President Lincoln had plans of peace for the Union after the Civil war had ended. Unfortunately, he was murdered before he could put his plan into action. This led to confusion and chaos that provided a crack in the once more reunited country. When a president dies or is assassinated, the vice president is placed in office almost immediately. Andrew Johnson was the vice president of that time, so when he became president, he had the whole task of repairing the damage of the Civil War. He was not a strong character like Lincoln, and soon people turned against him. Since there was no one who felt strongly enough to carry out Lincoln's plan, it took a longer time for things to be sorted out. This was called the Civil Rights era. Perhaps, if Lincoln hadn't been assassinated, a plan of action might've taken place without having to argue with everyone, but follow one solid plan. This of course did not happen. //**(NW-SOTH)**//

**// Primary Sources //**

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 * John Wilkes Booth Diary Entries**

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 * Newspapers on Lincoln Assassination**

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 * Lincoln's Views**


 * John Wilkes Booth Biography**
 * [|http://home.att.net/~rjnorton/Lincoln72.html]**

~This page was created by AG-SOTH and NW-SOTH //**
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