Today marks the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s death, the first presidential assassination in U.S. history and the tragic loss of a man many Americans still consider the greatest president who ever lived.
Lincoln’s death is seen as the final chapter of the Civil War—a single tragic finale that marked the end of disunion, the end of slavery, and the end of one of the greatest American presidencies of all time. His death came just four years after the start of the Civil War, two years after the delivery of the Gettysburg Address, five days after General Robert E. Lee surrendered, and just three months before the end of the war he had spent nearly his entire presidency fighting.
To commemorate this significant historical anniversary, a number of events are being hosted around Washington, D.C. and other areas significant to Lincoln’s life and death. Here are just a few:
Ford’s Theatre
See how the events played out at Ford’s Theatre, where actor John Wilkes Booth famously shot Abraham Lincoln. To mark the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s death, the theater is hosting a number of productions about Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. Across from Ford’s Theatre you can also see the Petersen House, the private residence that the president was carried to after being shot and where he eventually took his last breath.
Newseum
The Newseum will also be displaying a collection of New York Herald special edition’s reports on the news of Lincoln’s death from April 15, 1865, including the 2 a.m. report from the Associated Press informing the public that Lincoln had been shot.
National Museum of American History
See Civil War artifacts up close and personal at the National Museum of American History. One item of note is the famous carriage that took President Lincoln and his wife to Ford’s Theatre on the fateful day he was shot. Unfortunately, Lincoln’s famous top hat from that evening is not currently at the Smithsonian museum, but you can see it at Ford’s Theatre in the Silent Witnesses exhibition.
Lincoln Memorial
To remember Abraham Lincoln, you can see the likeness of the beloved president watching over the city on his marble throne.
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
See where Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous address, and follow in the footsteps of the Union and Confederate soldiers across the battlefield that served as the stage for the turning point of the Civil War.
Lincoln funeral re-enactment
In Springfield, Illinois, there will be a re-enactment of President Abraham Lincoln’s funeral procession occurring May 1-3. All schools are invited to participate.
For more details on the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s death, see our latest article on the subject:
Read “Remembering Lincoln” on page 104
