Abraham Lincoln, a self-taught lawyer, legislator and vocal opponent

of slavery

was elected 16th president of the United States in November 1860,

shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War.

Lincoln proved to be a shrewd military strategist and a savvy leader:

His Emancipation Proclamation paved the way for slaverys abolition,
while his Gettysburg Address stands as one of the most famous
pieces of oratory in American history.

In April 1865, with the Union on the brink of victory, Abraham

Lincoln was assassinated by Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes
Booth;

his untimely death made him a martyr to the cause of liberty, and he
is widely regarded as one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history.

ABRAHAM LNCOLNS ASSASSINATION

On the evening of April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor
and Confederate sympathizer, assassinated President Abraham
Lincoln at Fords Theatre in Washington, D.C. and shot him point-
blank in the back of the head.

Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across the street from the

theater, but he never regained consciousness, and died in the early
morning hours of April 15, 1865.

The attack came only five days after Confederate General Robert E.
Lee surrendered his massive army at Appomattox Court House,
Virginia, effectively ending the American Civil War.

John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln and questions arose almost
immediately.
Was Booth solely responsible for the assassination? Or was Booth simply a
tool in a much larger conspiracy?

Just who may or may not have been involved with Booth has been the
subject of profound speculation among writers, historians,
researchers, and others for the past 150+ years.

With the publication of new books and articles in the 1980's,

1990's, and beyond, the quest to find what really happened has
continued.

ABRAHam lincoln assassination conspiracy theories

1. Booth initially planned to kidnap Lincoln.

2. Ulysses S. Grant was originally scheduled to be at Lincolns side.

3. Lincolns murder was part of a larger plot to decapitate the

government

4. The lives of the Lincolns guests at Fords Theatre ended in tragedy

as well.

5. Lincolns death was not universally mourned in the North.

6. Mary Todd Lincoln thought the vice president was involved in the
conspiracy.

7. Lincoln and Booth had a previous encounter at Fords Theatre.

8. Lincolns deathbed quickly became a tourist attraction.

 9. Robert Todd Lincoln was in close proximity to two other presidential
assassinations.

10. Another deadly tragedy struck Fords Theatre during the

funeral of Booths brother.

James A. Garfield, in full James Abram

who had the second shortest tenure in presidential history. When he

was shot and incapacitated, serious constitutional questions arose
concerning who should properly perform the functions of the
presidency. (For a discussion of the history and nature of the
presidency, see presidency of the United States of America.)

He was born November 19, 1831, near Orange, Ohio, U.S.died

September 19, 1881, Elberon, New Jersey.

20th president of the United States (March 4September 19, 1881),

who had the second shortest tenure in presidential history.

When he was shot and incapacitated, serious constitutional questions

arose concerning who should properly perform the functions of the
presidency.
 When James A. Garfield was attacked on July 2, 1881, the
nation was shocked, enraged, and captivated. President for just
four months, Garfield was shot by Charles Guiteau as he was
about to board a train at the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad
Station in Washington, D.C. Severely wounded, Garfield
lingered until September 19.

An unsuccessful lawyer, evangelist, and insurance salesman,

Guiteau believed Garfield owed him a patronage position in the
diplomatic corps, and that the president's political decisions
threatened to destroy the Republican Party. Guiteau was
convicted of murder and hanged on June 30, 1882. In 1883
Congress passed the Pendleton Act; it sought to reform civil
service and limit the number of patronage seekers like Charles
Guiteau.