American Battlefield Trust
Post-1865: Effects of the War
What did Lincoln want? Historians still debate this question, and perhaps people will never fully know. Class members examine the legacies of the war, including the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments. The lesson plan also...
Curated OER
Chasing Lincoln's Killer: A Novel Study
James Swanson's novel, Chasing Lincoln's Killer, provides an engaging unit of study for all readers.
Curated OER
Pairing with Picture Books: Chasing Lincoln's Killer
Readers of Chasing Lincoln’s Killer, James L Swanson’s young adult novel, use a Venn diagram to compare information about Abraham Lincoln and the events surrounding his assassination, with the images and information presented in picture...
Curated OER
An Acquaintance with Darkness, a Civil War
Eighth graders explore the Civil War, and people and events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and his funeral procession.
Curated OER
Bad Brother
Students deal with the historian's dilemma of how to write about people in the past who committed wicked deeds. They analyze a well-known cartoon, "Satan Tempting Booth to the Murder of the President."
Curated OER
What Happened to John Wilkes Booth?
Students research the life of John Wilkes Booth. In this Lincoln assassination lesson, students read diary excerpts and newspaper articles about Booth's final hours and compose essays regarding their findings.
Curated OER
Good Brother, Bad Brother: The Story of Edwin Booth and John Wilkes Booth
Students examine the lives of Edwin Booth and John Wilkes Booth. They create a "found" poem using the voices of both brothers and perform the poem for the rest of the class.
University of Missouri
Famous Trials: Trial of the Lincoln Assassination Conspirators
Follows the events leading to the trial of those accused of conspiring to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Historical documents and primary sources describe the events.
Ibis Communications
Eye Witness to History: The Death of John Wilkes Booth, 1865
A detailed description of Booth's flight from the scene of the assassination of Lincoln, and Booth's eventual death. Includes an eyewitness account.
Other
Ford's Theatre: The Lincoln Assassination and Its Aftermath
Follow the chronology of events after Lincoln's assassination using this interactive timeline. The timeline begins the night Lincoln was killed and ends with the execution of conspirators. Included are photographs, newspaper columns,...
Other
Ford's Theatre: Lincoln's Assassination
Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theatre in full view of a packed audience. Many questions remain unanswered such as whether this was a lone act or part of a conspiracy. Conduct your own investigations using the features from this...
Other
Memories of the Lincoln Assassination Trial
A first-hand account written by Brigadier-General Henry Lawrence Burnett of the investigation and trial of Booth and his accomplices.
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: Mr. Lincoln and Friends
Lincoln was surrounded by friends and family. What were those people like? How did they impact his life? Discover the lawyers, the politicians, the members of Congress -- as well as Lincoln's wife and children. Groups who surrounded...
Library of Congress
Loc: Prints and Photographs Reading Room: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Selected images of the Ford Theater, James Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators, and Lincoln's funeral procession.
Other
Mr. Lincoln's White House: Maps of Lincoln's Assassination
Features three detailed maps of Abraham Lincoln's assassination; "The Night of April 14th", "Booth Flees Washington", and "Booth Travels April 14th-26th".
Ibis Communications
Eyewitness to History: The Death of President Lincoln, 1865
A detailed description of Lincoln's last day with an eyewitness account of the assassination. Includes information on the trial of Booth's conspirators.
Library of Congress
Loc: American Treasures: Artifacts of Assassination
This site describes the articles in Abraham Lincoln's pockets the evening he was assassinated. Includes a photograph of the items. Also included are newspaper clippings about the assassination and the playbill from Ford's Theater.
Library of Congress
Loc: Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln
Describes the events on April 14, 1865, when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated while attending a theater performance. His Secretary of State, William Henry Seward, was also attacked at his home that night but survived. Includes a timeline...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Assassination of the President
A detailed look at the last evening of Abraham Lincoln as he watched a play at Ford's Theater. See whom John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators targeted for assassination, and read what happened to Booth.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Last Diary Entry of John Wilkes Booth
A learning module that begins with "Last Diary Entry of John Wilkes Booth" by John Wilkes Booth, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online...
Smithsonian Institution
National Portrait Gallery: Ballyhoo! Posters as Portraiture: Reward for Booth
View the broadside publicizing a $100,000 reward for the capture of John Wilkes Booth and his two accomplices. The text explains the use of broadsides in publicizing announcements.
The History Cat
The History Cat: The Assassination of Abe Lincoln
An account of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
Smithsonian Institution
National Portrait Gallery: The Mask of Lincoln: John Wilkes Booth
The National Portrait Gallery publishes a captioned portrait of John Wilkes Booth in which Booth's animosity toward Lincoln and the events of Lincoln's assassination are recounted.
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: Assassination of President Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln has the distinction of being the first President to be assassinated. The Library of Congress has more information about the events surrounding this historic event.