Archer W.: What was it like in America when President Lincoln was killed?
Joel Achenbach: For four years, the country had been ripped apart at war with itself. And then in April 1865, General Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse to General Grant. Four days later, Lincoln goes to the theater with his wife and an assassin shoots him, and he lingers until the next morning and then dies in this little house across the street from Ford’s Theatre.
And the country went from this moment of celebration that the war was over to terrible grief—just an outpouring of grief. And there was this other element though, which is: Who did it? It turned out it was a conspiracy. There were multiple conspirators who were trying to take out the whole leadership of the United States: Lincoln, the vice president—who wasn’t injured—but the Secretary of State was also stabbed and he lived. So it was a tumultuous time. You can just imagine the swings of emotion in this country.
Archer W.: Thank you, Joel. That was Joel Achenbach from the newsroom of The Washington Post.
