When renowned actor John Wilkes Booth considered assassinating President Abraham Lincoln, the three key events that eventually fueled him to make his final decision were the fall of Richmond, Lincoln’s speech on black voting rights, and the celebrations of the North post-war. About a week before the official surrender of the South, Booth was crushed by the news of the fall of Richmond, Virginia, “wander[ing] the streets in despair” (Swanson 2). Booth, a strong Confederate, was aware that the fall of the capital of the South meant the success of the final part of the North’s Anaconda Plan crafted for a Union victory; as a result, he saw the defeat of his own ideologies along with countless others on his side. Because President Lincoln was obviously
