What was the main goal behind the assassination of President Lincoln?

1 answer

The primary goal behind the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln was to undermine the Union government and its efforts to rebuild the South after the Civil War. John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer, believed that by killing Lincoln, he could create chaos, rally support for the Confederate cause, and potentially revive the Southern fight against the Union. Booth and his co-conspirators hoped that Lincoln's death would destabilize the government and help the South regain power and influence. Ultimately, the assassination was part of a larger strategy to disrupt the Union's plans for Reconstruction and to retaliate against what they viewed as Lincoln's harsh policies towards the South.