Hello and welcome to this day in esoteric political history from radiotopia.

My name is Jody Avergan.

This day, April 14th, 1865, midway through watching a play at the Ford's Theater.

President Abraham Lincoln is fatally shot by John Wilkes Booth.

Obviously a major, major moment in American history. shot by John Wilkes Booth.

Obviously a major, major moment in American history lost to discuss including what it feels like

when a country appears to be tearing apart into regional factions.

We're joined as always by Nicole Hammer of Columbia and Jamel Bowie of the New York Times

is still with us as our special guest for this episode.

Hello to both of you.

Hello Jody.

Hello there.

Okay, so obviously Lincoln's assassination is in every history book.

So Jamel convinced me that there are parts of this story that people don't know and need to think

about.

Sure. So the part of the story that I often lead with is the events that lead directly

to his assassination.

So we all know John Wilkes Booth, a prominent actor from an acting

family in Baltimore, is the assassin.

But what a lot of people don't know is that Booth a few days earlier had heard Lincoln give a speech about what will happen in the aftermath of the war and Lincoln

floats suffrage for black soldiers and it's upon hearing this that Booth essentially says to himself or to his, I think his friend who is with him,

that he's going to kill Lincoln.

...