Can say this is the definitive site in the federal city and the one site i have really enjoyed in the course of my career and all the interaction i have had with various historians and other scholars who i see come and go, as well as the comradeship i have daily with fellow rangers. I want to cover the history of fords theatre, sort of a general history, and work my way into the assassination. A little bit about the historical background of the theatre. The theatre was created in 1860, 1861, from what was originally a Baptist Church built on the Current Location on 511 10th street in 1833. The ford brothers were originally from maryland baltimore, where they ran three or four other theatres as well as an opera house. The theatre, when it opened at the outset of president lincolns term in office, it had a shortlived life. Following the assassination of president lincoln, the ford brothers were unable to reopen the theatre in the aftermath of the tragedy. There was public outrage at any thought of trying to continue it as a theatre given what has happened. They would be forced to sell the building to the War Department undersecretary for edward stanton, who we largely have to thank. Otherwise, the building would have been lost to history. For many years, the War Department utilized the area of the theatre as a Storage Facility for its many records. It was not until the later part of the 19th and early 20th century it came under the office of public buildings and grounds. 1933 is when the National Park service acquired the structure. That is the year the agency went from just nature parks over to historical, cultural sites. It made that shift under franklin roosevelt. It was for many years a Lincoln Museum covering artifacts of lincolns life and legacy. From 1964 to 1968, it was restored back to the 1856 appearance as you see it today. The official first play reopened on lincolns birthday, february 12, 1968, john browns body. Being a working theatre, we have a working relationship with our partners, private and nonprofit. It is a unique historic entity in that respect. It makes it quite interesting. While the rangers and our staff interpret the historical significance of what happens to our many visitors, our partners bring to life as a working theatre out of recognition for president lincolns love of the theatre in his day. The facade when original would include the front facade and the roof and attic, but everything else, about 90 of the interior was redone in the 1960s. This building to the right is where our National ParkService Offices are, where we work out of. This would have been the star saloon in 1856 where John Wilkes Booth would have had a drink before he made his entry back into the theatre. We have today what is called the Atlantic Building. The theatre was closed down several years back when we created a new lobby for our theatregoers. Fords Theatre Society and their staff work in here. Visitors, when they come to fords theatre, they dont go through the doors here. They did in the early days and in 1865, but now come in through the Atlantic Building where the Ticket Box Office is. There are more amenities there. From there, enter into the historic theatre itself. Here we have the actual wartime photo showing you the theatre so you can see the facade. The roof is all intact. The sides of the building were redone in the 1960s. You get an idea of the condition of the roads and how many taverns, saloons, and boardinghouses were along here. President lincoln, the only president to attend the theatre during his tenure in office 1861 to 1865, was an avid theatregoer. The literature of shakespeare served as a reprieve for him while carrying the country through the most destructive war in its history in which over 675,000 americans would perish. Here we have a depiction of lincoln as a family man with mary lincoln, his wife, robert todd lincoln, his oldest son and tad. When lincoln would get away from the white house, in addition to going to the theatre which he enjoyed, the Lincoln Cottage is where he would reflect as well and gather his thoughts. Lincolns enjoyment of shakespearean literature helped him as a melancholy man deal with the tragedies he had. The lincoln family had four children altogether. Eddie died in infancy. Willie died of typhoid fever in 1862. Tragically, tad lincoln would die of tuberculosis in 1871. Mary lincoln loses three of her children. The only one to live to adulthood, robert todd lincoln. Then with the assassination of her husband, quite tragic. Tragically, tad lincoln would die of tuberculosis in 1871. Mary lincoln loses three of her children. The only one to live to adulthood, robert todd lincoln. Then with the assassination of her husband, quite tragic. Mary lincoln is a complex, interesting topic. There has been interesting books written about her. The madness of mary lincoln, written by jason emerson, is one of the best works ever done that does justice to her. Here we have president lincoln the mark of war, showing almost four years of carrying the country through conflict. This photo was taken on february of 1865. It was believed for many years that photo was taken around april 10 of 1856, just days before his assassination. You get an idea of how much lincoln has aged during these four years and his tribulation of all these challenges. John wilkes booth, shakespearean actor, was called a tragedian. He was part of a renowned acting family from maryland. Maryland was a border slave state in 1861 when the war began. John wilkes had two other brothers, also famous actors. John wilkes and his brothers were renowned in the 1850s and 1860s performing shakespearean classics. John wilkes in particular, very charismatic and striking figure, comparable to the most renowned star we could think of today in his own time. At the same time he was renowned before the American Public as an actor, he thought of himself primarily as a southern actor while his other famous brother edwin was more prominent in the Northern New England states. John wilkes booth was not the refined actor edwin was. He was certainly not an unsuccessful actor, as some historians have said. He had a different style. Again, his style tended to be more renowned in scenes involving action as opposed to some of the refinements of his older brother, edwin. At the same time, the American Public has no idea John Wilkes Booths southern proclivities and sympathies. When the war begins in 1861, april 12, no one has any idea the war will go on for four long years. As the war dragged on, John Wilkes Booth becomes more convinced in his own mind that president lincoln, his attempt to suppress the souths attempt to attain independence and create its own country, was ultimately responsible for the death and destruction that had been inflicted upon the country, particularly upon the people of the south. In order to understand John Wilkes Booths frame of mind, and this is my take on this, you have to understand something about what i will call the liberties of classical republicanism. That is going back to an older notion of society and civilization whereby the society is antithetical to the creed brought out of the war between the north and south that all men are created equal, as lincoln refers to in his quotes in his gettysburg address referring to jeffersons declaration of independence. What i would argue also is while lincoln did preserve the union of the states geographically the regime itself was transformed from what i would call a federate of compound republic into a nationalized democracy. At the framing in philadelphia when the framers established the government, they thought of it primarily as a republic as opposed to a democracy. You dont see the words democracy in the constitution. It refers to a republic and republican form of government. As a result of the war, i would argue the United States became more democratic, the democratic republic overshadowing the purely republican dimension. No one wrote more eloquently about this prophetically than the french aristocrat intellectual alexis de tocqueville in his work democracy in america. John wilkes booths father was a successful, renowned actor in his own day. The temperament of Junius Brutus booth John Wilkes Booth inherited and was similar to his father in acting styles. Here we have a photo of the booth brothers in the play julius caesar. John wilkes booth, edwin, and Junius Brutus booth, jr. John wilkes booth was essentially the mastermind of a group of conspirators. When talking about the events leading up to late 1864, early 1865, it is important to distinguish between a conspiracy to kidnap president lincoln and a conspiracy to assassinate him. John wilkes booths original plan was not to assassinate president lincoln but to kidnap him. Not only John Wilkes Booth was looking to do this but also a Confederate Secret Service. A number of agents John Wilkes Booth had contact with particularly when he went north into canada, he had a number of meetings with confederate agents, with a Confederate Secret Service established to monitor lincolns movements. This came about as a result of a number of factors, one of which was the dahlgren raid, an unsuccessful attempt to take down richmond, the capital of the confederacy. There was a Union Cavalry corps that was ambushed. On dahlgren were found papers with orders to burn the white house of the confederacy and also if possible to kill Jefferson Davis. When these worked their way up the chain to the confederate high command, that is where you began to see systematically the goal going towards the formation of a confederate clandestine operation to undertake possibly kidnapping lincoln for retaliation. John wilkes booths motivation behind the kidnapping was largely due to the exchange of prisoners of war between the north and south. Lincoln implemented this at the suggestion of general grant to wear down the manpower of the confederacy. If this had been successful, John Wilkes Booth could successfully kidnap lincoln, carry him south, and hold him as hostage, he might be able to force the resumption of the exchange of prisoners of war to keep the war going on indefinitely. Here we have in 1865 depiction of the theatre box where president lincoln was seated that night. There is a framed print of george washington. That was placed there by the ford brothers. It would have served as more or less the president ial seal, like we have today, such that it did not exist in 1865. That is one of the few original artifacts we still have in the theatre itself. Many of our original artifacts are down in our museum. We do have a couple of artifacts across the street from fords theatre in what is called the center for education and leadership. President lincoln would have been seated in the rocking chair. That original rocking chair is in the Henry Ford Museum now. It was the property of the ford brothers. It worked its way to henry fords museum, no connection, long before the m. P. S. With acquired the structure. There were two guests in the box with a lincolns that night major Henry Rathbone and clara harris. President lincoln was watching the play, our american cousin, a comedy. The play written by a british playwright named tom taylor in the 1850s was a satire of American Society and manners. It was her 1000th performance. He was the one on the stage, the only one when John Wilkes Booth leaves about three quarters of the way through the play. Here we have a photo showing you the rear side of fords theatre. The alley is still there. This was taken many years after 1865. The bay windows would have been a doorway. That would have been where John Wilkes Booth would have fled out the back of the theatre where he had a horse waiting for him on which he made his escape through this alley. The area of major activity on the night of april 1415, 1865. John wilkes booth when he came to fords theatre on the morning of the 14th at around 11 00 a. M. To pick up his mail, he would go there frequently to get his mail because that is where actors picked up a correspondence where they worked great he was informed by harry for the president lincoln would be at the play that night. He sets into motion his plans very methodically which will involve not only assassinating president lincoln but also lincolns secretary of state, we considered, and his Vice President , Andrew Johnson, to be targeted by fellow coconspirators. John wilkes booth only John Wilkes Booth was successful. Right here was the location of the kirkwood house. That is where johnson was staying. During the afternoon of the 14th, John Wilkes Booth did stop at the kirkwood house and asked the clerk to stick a card in johnsons box where he wrote dont wish to disturb you. Are you at home . J. W. Booth. Some historians think he did that to frame johnson in case George Azterodt did not carry out his plan to assassinate johnson, which in fact he did not. Here is the theatre and the house across the street where president lincoln died, the petersen boardinghouse. George never carries it out. He was staying in the same house where johnson was to go to his room that same night and shoot him. Instead, he goes to germantown and the weapons are found in his room by investigators within 24 hours after president lincolns assassination. This was the rogers house, this is where secretary of state seward was recovering from a carriage accident. This is where lewis powell did make successful entry into the home of seward. On the pretense of carrying medicine for seward from his doctor, was able to get inside the room. Initially first clubbing sewards son with the butt of his revolver. Once he gets into the room where seward is in bed, he has a bowie knife and stabbed seward repeatedly. The neck brace he was wearing is what saved him. Altogether, about five people were assaulted. He flees the house, and david herold gets spooked and runs off and leaves powell. Herold does not know his way around the city and winds up wandering around and will wind up at the boardinghouse of mary surratt. Looking suspicious, he is taken in for questioning. The herndon house a block over to the east from fords theatre is where the conspirators had their final meeting that evening at around 8 00 p. M. On the 14th, given their assignments. It is now where there is a j. W. Marriott building. This over here is the National Hotel. It no longer stands. It was torn down in 1942. That is where John Wilkes Booth stayed on a number of occasions. It is believed that is where he awoke that morning of the 14th. That is also where john wilkes was met on a number of occasions with john surratt and samuel mudd, other conspirators in the plot to abduct lincoln. The other people in the box with the lincolns, Henry Rathbone, a clerk, and his fiancee, Claire Harris, daughter of senator harris of new york. They were invited at the last minute by the lincolns. Originally, the lincolns had invited the grants to be with them in the theatre box that night. General grant regretfully informs president lincoln they will be unable to attend. They decide to take a train that afternoon to new jersey. There was a reason for this. Mrs. Lincoln and mrs. Grant did not get along well together. They could not stand each other. Mrs. Grant had made it known to the general in no Uncertain Terms she would not be cooped up in the theatre box for three and a half hours with mary lincoln. There were some disagreeable incidents that occurred earlier in february of 1865. Once again, showing you in the immediate aftermath of president lincolns assassination. Again, Claire Harris was seated here. Behind her on a love sofa, which is the original in the theatre box today, was major rathbone. Rathbone was here we have shown you John Wilkes Booth entered into the theatre box during the scene. People in the theatre when John Wilkes Booth arrived thought perhaps he was going to pay his respects to mr. Lincoln. They did not have any systematic president ial protection. There was no secret service. John wilkes booth presented a calling card to the messenger in lieu of the guard who wandered off, john parker. It was more customary than mandatory for a guard to be outside president lincolns theatre box. Using his fame to his advantage, was able to talk his way in. There is a vestibule hall that leads to two doors into the box. I think John Wilkes Booth would have gone through the door marked box eight based on the angle of where president lincoln is shot. A. 44 derringer pistol, for a bold, only one shot. He has a backup knife in case that fails. He was hoping grant would be there because he wanted to take a general grant as well. Major rathbone heard a muffled sound when booth fired the weapon during the funniest line of the play. The laughter muffled the sound. Rathbone turns, sees the cloud of smoke, tries to grab booth. He drops the derringer to the floor of the theatre box and takes the knif