The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

American History Hit

History Hit

America, History

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 28 November 2022

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On the evening of 14th April, 1865, the Union was celebrating victory in the civil war, won 5 days earlier with General Lee's surrender at Appomattox. President Abraham Lincoln was watching a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington DC. But some Southern sympathisers still thought the Confederacy could be restored. Among them was the actor John Wilkes Booth. He entered the theatre, made his way to Lincoln's box and carried out the first assassination of a US president. Michael Kauffman takes Don through the conspiracy to murder Lincoln and the act itself, after which Booth fled on horseback, into the night.

Produced by Benjie Guy. Mixed by Aidan Lonergan. Senior Producer: Charlotte Long.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Once upon a time in medieval England, there was a young king who would do just about anything for his favorite night.
0:06.5	They were inseparable.
0:08.5	With love at the front of a king's mind, instead of war or ambition, you'd think the kingdom would be in for a golden
0:15.0	era of peace. But England is headed for the most catastrophic collapse seen for hundreds of
0:20.4	years. The saga continues, Join me Dan Jones on This is History, a Dynasty to
0:26.4	Die for. Available wherever you get your podcasts. We're in Washington, D.C. on the evening of April 14, 1865, and we are standing in the dress circle of Ford's Theater.
0:45.8	The balcony seats, looking down at an ongoing performance of a British farce entitled
0:50.5	Our American Cousin.
0:52.1	Suddenly, the actor John Wilkes Booth climbs the stairs and steps through audience members clustered about.
0:58.0	People smile in his direction. They recognize his famous face.
1:02.0	It is entirely natural that John Wilkes Booth would be here on such a night.
1:06.6	What is not natural is the scene he's about to play. Crossing to the far side of the theater,
1:11.7	he approaches a small door, the entrance to the far side of the theater, he approaches a small door,
1:13.9	the entrance to the opera box,
1:16.1	where President Abraham Lincoln watches the play
1:18.6	with his wife and guests.
1:20.8	Booth enters easily, strange though it may seem today.
1:24.0	Inside the dim space, he pauses silently, grasping a small pistol and awaiting his cue.
1:30.0	John Wilkes Booth believes he is about to perform his most triumphant scene ever, but in reality
1:36.4	he will enact a terrible drama that will drape himself and his nation in utter tragedy. Hey everyone,
1:43.0	welcome to Hey everyone. Welcome to American History Hit. I'm Don Wildman. Given the
1:56.4	pinnacle that Abraham Lincoln had reached in April 1865 as president and
	...

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