Final answer:
Lincoln's assassination was orchestrated by John Wilkes Booth as part of a larger plot to revive the Confederate cause. After shooting Lincoln at Ford's Theater, Booth escaped but was killed by Union troops days later. The event left an indelible mark on the nation and influenced the trajectory of Reconstruction.
Step-by-step explanation:
The events surrounding Lincoln's assassination on April 14, 1865, are critical in American history. John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate supporter, fatally shot President Lincoln while he attended a play titled "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. This act was part of a larger conspiracy to overthrow the Union government and continue the Confederate cause. That same night, one of Booth's accomplices wounded Secretary of State William Seward, and another associate failed to carry out the planned assassination of Vice President Andrew Johnson.
After initially evading capture, Booth was ultimately located by Union troops and shot dead on April 26, 1865. Four of the eight convicted conspirators were later hanged by a military tribunal. Lincoln's death generated immediate martyrdom, mourning, and fear of a grander Confederate conspiracy among Northerners, which would influence the politics of Reconstruction.