John Wilkes Booth killed Abraham Lincoln because he was a strong Confederate sympathizer who deeply opposed Lincoln's policies, especially those related to the abolition of slavery and the advancement of black rights. Booth saw Lincoln as a tyrant who threatened the Southern way of life, including its slave-based economy. Initially, Booth planned to kidnap Lincoln to leverage for the Confederate cause, but as the Confederacy's defeat became imminent, he turned to assassination as a desperate act to save it. Booth was enraged especially after Lincoln's speech supporting limited black suffrage, declaring it would be the last speech Lincoln would ever make. Booth assassinated Lincoln on April 14, 1865, at Ford's Theatre, hoping to revive the Confederate cause by eliminating key government leaders. Booth's motivations were rooted in his fervent support for the Confederacy, white supremacy, and his belief that Lincoln's actions destroyed the South's social order and racial hierarchy. His assassination was part of a larger conspiracy to kill other top federal officials as well. This tragic event took place just days after the Confederate surrender, marking the desperate end of the Civil War era in the United States.
