President Lincoln's Killer and the America He Left Behind: The Assassin, the Crime, and Its Lasting Blow to Freedom and Equality

by Jessica Gunderson

Overview

Abraham Lincoln was watching a play at Ford's Theatre when a gunman crept up from behind and fired at the president's head. As Lincoln crumpled with a terrible wound, the shooter leapt from the balcony and fled before a shocked audience. He was John Wilkes Booth, a well-known stage actor, and he imagined himself a hero avenging the South's defeat in the Civil War. Soldiers searched for Booth as Lincoln suffered long hours before dying. There would be no reversing the results of the war, but Lincoln's death put the cause of freedom and equality in danger. His presidency had been cut short, and even today the country lives with the effects of his assassination.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780756557164
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	01/01/2018
Series:	Assassins' America
Pages:	64
Product dimensions:	5.75(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.31(d)
Age Range:	9 - 15 Years

About the Author

Jessica Gunderson grew up in the small town of Washburn, North Dakota. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Dakota and an MFA in Creative Writing from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She has written more than fifty books for young readers. Her book Ropes of Revolution won the 2008 Moonbeam Award for best graphic novel. She currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband and cat.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Lincoln's Killer 5

Chapter 2 Lincoln's Story 15

Chapter 3 Troubled Times 23

Chapter 4 Booth's Crime 35

Chapter 5 The Aftermath 47

Timeline 58

Glossary 60

Source Notes 60

Select Bibliography 61

Additional Resources 62

Index 63

About the Author 64

Interviews

The author delivers a highly readable account of the Lincoln assassination and a thoughtful look at how it changed the country; the text details this critical turning point in U.S. history and invites readers to consider how the country was changed and how it might be better off today if not for this crime; a fast-paced approach and inviting prose make this the kind of nonfiction readers don’t want to put down.