Each October Steven K. Rogstad offers a series of lectures on a topic specific to Abraham Lincoln. This year the topic deals with John Wilkes Booth, Presidential Assassin.
Tuesdays, October 5, 12, 19, 26, 2021
Sheboygan County Historical Museum
3110 Erie Avenue, Sheboygan, Wisconsin
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Unlike the assassins of presidents James Garfield and William McKinley, who functioned on the fringes of society and politics, the murder of President Abraham Lincoln was well-liked, charismatic. talented, successful, and had earned the esteem and affection of friends, family, and theater audiences nationwide for his acting prowess and memorable performances. Those who knew him well could hardly believe John Wilkes Boothwas capable of murder, much less the assassination of a president who was at the height of his popularity for winning the Civil War and eradicating slavery from the American landscape. This course will examine his childhood, politics, theatrical career, placing his crime in its proper historical perspective and revealing his motives for murdering our nation’s most beloved political figure.