Today is May 10th and would’ve been John Wilkes Booth’s 186th birthday. His fate was sealed when he was only 26 years old. Up until that day, he was looked upon as a fine young actor who graced the performing stage in America. This dashing young man was doomed to die at an early age. Was this what he had planned for his life? I’m certain he thought about living a long and prosperous existence, but history had other plans for him. John was an actor of note among those Americans who made the stage their backdrop.

He was born into a prominent family of successful actors and was making his own name in the family business. Unfortunately, his political views got in the way of his ability to become a character on a stage. His zeal for the south and his ideals about the Civil War became an obsession for him. He blamed President Lincoln for the state of country. His plan to assassinate the Commander in Chief was set into play. This would be Booth’s final tragic performance.

We all learned about this event when we were in elementary school. The death of Lincoln was a shock to the nation at the time. His funeral lasted for weeks as his embalmed body was displayed across the country. Booth escaped from the scene of his crime and went on the run for twelve days, before he was tracked down and found at a Virginia farm. He was shot by Sergeant Boston Corbett and died from his wounds.

The final act of his performance would shake America to the core. It was only a few days after the Civil War ended before Lincoln’s life was cut short. Booth followed him to the grave.