Killing Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln is the 16th president of the United States. He is a lawyer from Illinois who is elected to the highest office in the country for two terms. With the Civil War dividing the nation, Lincoln wants to end the conflict and begin the arduous task of rebuilding the nation. As such, he seeks leniency for the South where others—like Andrew Johnson, the vice president who will later become the 17th president of the United States—want draconian punishment for the South. Lincoln knows that punishing the South cruelly will only incite the hatred of Southerners after the war. He also knows that Southern soldiers are also husbands, fathers, and sons, all of whom will be needed to reignite industry once the war is over.

Lincoln is described as gentle and intelligent, with the term “gentle giant” coming to mind. He’s gaunt yet physically fit for his age. His characteristics are his trademark height, his stovepipe hat, and his black overcoat. Lincoln wants to heal the nation and truly believes that he can do so in his second term. He’s also responsible for essentially freeing the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation. Unfortunately, his dream of reunification is never realized as he is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in