John Wilkes Booth
John Booth's Background and Childhood changed America
Sic Semper Tyrannis!
These are the famous words shouted as John Wilkes Booth jumped off the balcony of the Presidential Box at Fords Theater right after shooting Abraham Lincoln. Our president at the time would survive until the next day; however, his assassin would survive until April 26th, 1865, just 12 days after shooting and killing our beloved president .
Childhood and Family
John Wilkes Booth was born and raised on a farm in Bel Air, Maryland. His family farm was, ironically, run by slaves. Booths family was, as most families were at that time, split. Some of his relatives were for the Union and others were for the Confederacy. His father, Junis Brutus Booth, was for the Confederacy, obviously, as well as being a well known actor with a reputation of being a heavy drinker from time to time. John Wilkes Booth was the second youngest of ten children.
Education
At age 17, Booth had his debut in Baltimore, Maryland. He had a small role in Shakespear"s Richard 3 as his first acting job. Interestingly enough, Abraham Lincoln, saw Booth perform the Marble Heart at Fords Theater several months before his assassination in the same theater.
Contributions to Change
Well, there is an obvious answer, he killed Abraham Lincoln;however, so much happened because of that. For example, Lincolns plan for reconstructing the South after the Civil War, which had ended only five days prior to the shooting, was shattered. Instead of the President being able to execute his plan for rebuilding the South, Andrew Johnson had to take over. Many say Johnson, Lincolns vice president was too lenient with the South. A problem that would not have occurred if Lincoln was there to sort it out.
Important Life Events
Once you hear about JWB's background, we can understand more about what caused him to do such harsh things as an adult. For example, he was raised on a farm/plantation that was run by slaves so obviously he was a Confederate. As well as his father not legally divorcing his first wife before marrying Booth's mother, Mary Anne Booth. The name Booth was already well known before the assassination, and not for good reasons.
Bibliography
Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
"The Death of John Wilkes Booth, 1865." The Death of John Wilkes Booth, 1865. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
"John Wilkes Booth." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
O'Reilly, Bill, and Martin Dugard. Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever. New York: Henry Holt, 2011. Print.
"Who Was John Wilkes Booth Before He Became Lincoln's Assassin?" NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.