[ot-caption title=”Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, Illinois honors the legendary leader who was assassinated 150 years ago. Source: Seth Perlman, AP Images” url=”https://pcpawprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/lincoln.jpg”]

On April 14, 1865, United States President Abraham Lincoln was murdered. The 150^th Anniversary of his assassination is a time to remember the tragic event, Lincoln’s legacy, and the history of presidential assassinations. John Wilkes Booth, an actor and Confederate sympathizer, shot and killed Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. Lincoln’s assassination took place just five days after General Robert E. Lee, the leading general of the Confederates, surrendered of the American Civil War at Appomattox Court House.

Simultaneously during Lincoln’s murder, there were failed murder attempts on Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William Steward. It was a tragic event in the United States, as the country lost its greatest leader after the bloodiest national conflict of all time. There were certainly high tensions from sea to shining sea leading into Reconstruction.

The anniversary of the tragic event that ended Lincoln’s life is a great opportunity to reflect on the incredible legacy Abraham Lincoln left on the nation. In Washington, D.C., the Lincoln Memorial honors the sixteenth President of the United States with an immortalized marble statue. Above the statue reads, “In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.”

Perhaps more than anything, Lincoln is known for “saving the Union.” From the founding of the United States of America, economic, cultural and political differences between the North and South created tensions and reasons for concern. In 1861, the nation reached its breaking point, plummeting into full-scale civil war. The leadership of Abraham Lincoln was essential in saving the Union from separation and further destruction. He was determined in his fight to maintain democracy and unity.

Lincoln is also known as the liberator of the slaves. His Emancipation Proclamation, in 1863, freed many of America’s slaves and set a precedent for creating a more free and equal America. Lincoln stated, “I say in the relation to the principle that all men are created equal, let it be nearly reached as we can.” In addition, Lincoln’s legacy includes his change to the role of President. Lincoln took bold, never seen before, presidential actions such as calling out state militias, spending two million dollars without congressional approval, blockading ports, and most notably suspending the writ of habeas corpus. In the world of federal power and checks and balances, he brought the presidency to the top of Washington.

In the eyes of many, Lincoln became a larger than life figure sent to save the Union and free the slaves. He is a symbol of freedom and unity. In 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. started his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial with, “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering justice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.”

Lincoln’s assassination was not only tragic because of the loss of a great man, but it also left the nation without its leader at a critical juncture: Reconstruction. From 1861 to 1865, the nation was destroyed physically, economically and morally, as “brothers fought brothers.” Afterward, it was up to the federal government to restore the nation. However, the task was much more difficult without the leadership of Abraham Lincoln. There was little sense of compromise as President Andrew Johnson fought against Congressional radical Reconstruction. It leaves historians asking, “What if?” What if Abraham Lincoln was alive to guide the nation through Reconstruction?

The 150^th Anniversary of Lincoln’s murder is a time to remember the history of presidential assassinations. Lincoln was the first ever President to be assassinated. In 1881, President James Garfield was shot from behind at Potomac Railroad Station and died from resulting infections and blood poisoning. In 1901, President William McKinley was shot in Buffalo and died from resulting gangrene. Finally, in 1963, President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas.

There have been six other officially recorded major assassination attempts on working or former Presidents: Andrew Jackson, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. These disturbing statistics point to the emblem of the President of the United States. In a democracy with government leaders in three federal branches, fifty state governments, thousands of local governments and seemingly countless agencies, the President is the symbol of America. To the world, the President is the symbol of Western democracy and American hegemony. This fact makes the President an obvious target to show disagreement or hate and to make a loud statement. The threat explains the extensive and tightly controlled security measures to protect the “leader of the free world” or “commander-in-chief.”

Lincoln’s legacy is of divine importance and must never be forgotten. He was a remarkable figure, who came from humble backgrounds, worked hard and made a tremendous difference in his life. During the most serious crisis in American history, the Union needed a leader with the determination and charisma of Lincoln to protect the nation’s stability and make its democracy closer to truly equal. So, one hundred and fifty years after the tragedy at Ford’s Theatre, we must not only remember the heartbreaking assassination but also recognize and analysis the extremely meaningful legacy of Abraham Lincoln.

Sources: History Channel, The Miller Center at the University of Virginia, National Park Service, Presidents USA,