The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth was one of the most impactful moments in American history. Booth was the last person people would have suspected because he was a famous, handsome, and well-loved actor. However, on April 15, 1865, America was forever changed. Lincoln’s plans for Reconstruction and peace following the Civil War were destroyed, leaving the racist and oppressive President Andrew Johnson to take over. Booth’s actions had cultural, historical, and social consequences on America. John Wilkes Booth impacted the United States by assassinating one of the most loved presidents, Abraham Lincoln. Without his actions, the world would be different because Lincoln would have gone on to do great things
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A month before his death, Lincoln demonstrated his peaceful manner through his second inaugural address in which he stated that the United States would “achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.” In his address, he gave African-Americans hope for the future, and made himself someone they could count on to make America a better place. Reconstruction under Johnson did not come close to fixing racial issues because he was the opposite of Lincoln. The Black Codes and terrorist groups oppressed blacks for years, expanding the social gap between races. African-Americans were denied their voting rights until 1965, 100 years later. Johnson’s impact spread so far that the well-known abolitionist, Frederick Douglass, warned the black community, “Whatever Andrew Johnson may be, he is no friend of our race” (Gordon-Reed 2). If Booth had not killed Lincoln, racism is an issue that could have been avoided much sooner, as seen in his address. Johnson maintained that the south be racist for many years to come. The blacks were seen as socially inferior and were given very few …show more content…
Without this event, the Reconstruction of the Civil War would have gone quicker and more peaceful, allowing America to become a country of equality. Booth had a cultural, historical, and social impact on the United States. Had Lincoln gone on living as president during the Reconstruction period, the southern states would have been treated kinder, thus making the United States a place of true unity and freedom. Booth thought what he was doing was to the benefit of the nation because he believed many people would praise him for bringing power to the Confederacy. Little did he know that people across the United States were grieving, as he extended racism and caused violence that would last for
A month before his death, Lincoln demonstrated his peaceful manner through his second inaugural address in which he stated that the United States would “achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.” In his address, he gave African-Americans hope for the future, and made himself someone they could count on to make America a better place. Reconstruction under Johnson did not come close to fixing racial issues because he was the opposite of Lincoln. The Black Codes and terrorist groups oppressed blacks for years, expanding the social gap between races. African-Americans were denied their voting rights until 1965, 100 years later. Johnson’s impact spread so far that the well-known abolitionist, Frederick Douglass, warned the black community, “Whatever Andrew Johnson may be, he is no friend of our race” (Gordon-Reed 2). If Booth had not killed Lincoln, racism is an issue that could have been avoided much sooner, as seen in his address. Johnson maintained that the south be racist for many years to come. The blacks were seen as socially inferior and were given very few …show more content…
Without this event, the Reconstruction of the Civil War would have gone quicker and more peaceful, allowing America to become a country of equality. Booth had a cultural, historical, and social impact on the United States. Had Lincoln gone on living as president during the Reconstruction period, the southern states would have been treated kinder, thus making the United States a place of true unity and freedom. Booth thought what he was doing was to the benefit of the nation because he believed many people would praise him for bringing power to the Confederacy. Little did he know that people across the United States were grieving, as he extended racism and caused violence that would last for