The Night the Lights Went Dim: The Assassination of a President by Jennifer Dryden
Students will discuss and analyze primary sources relative to the life of John Wilkes Booth and his role in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by actively engaging in inquiry based learning with documents, photographs and other materials provided by the teacher to gain understanding of Booth as a person. Students will review national and international published materials and incorporate the information into a newspaper they create and publish. Students will consider different reactions to President Lincoln’s assassination and the events that followed when writing newspapers from the perspective of the North or South.
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Subject: Social Studies / Language Arts
Time Required: Ten class sessions: two for PowerPoint and eight for newspaper assignment
Grade Range: 6 - 8
Understanding Goal: Primary sources will help students understand the real person behind the man who assassinated President Lincoln.
Investigative or By exposing Booth’s personal history and beliefs, Essential Question: do we know why Booth assassinated Lincoln?
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Purpose of Primary sources provides a wonderful opportunity for Library of Congress Items: students to build knowledge and explore some details of Booth’s life and death.
Library of Congress Items: Bibliographical Information attached.
Additional Materials:
Court TV Crime Library Website http://www.crimelibrary.com
National Park Service Website http://www.nps.gov/history
Booth Image http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/as sassins/booth/2.html
Booth’s Mother http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/as sassins/booth/2.html
Conspirators http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_boo ks/hh/3b/hh3c.htm Theater Playbill http://mssa.library.yale.edu/madid/showzoom .php?srchVal=playbill+for+the+ production+of+shakespear%27s+play+richard
+III&id=txt&pg=1&imgNum=6156 Q Union & Confederate Newspaper Assignment (attached) Q The Night the Lights Dimmed Slides (attached) http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/inaug/ispy2.html Lincoln Inauguration I Spy http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/inaug/is py2.html
Required Vocabulary: central column, pilaster, flat, lectern, stovepipe hat, analysis, John Wilkes booth, Abraham Lincoln, Mary Todd Lincoln, Confederate States of America
Prior Content Knowledge: The students will have gained prior knowledge on the causes of the Civil War and the assassination of Lincoln
Technology Skills: PowerPoint and computer skills using hyper-link to I-Spy
---Standards------
Illinois Learning Standards: 14.C.3, 14.F.3a 16.A.3a, 16.A.3b, 16.A.3c, 16.C.3c, 16.C.3c, 16.D.3a, 16.D.3 17.C.3a 18.A.3, 18.C.3a
For information on specific Illinois Learning Standards go to www.isbe.state.il.us/ils/
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Description of Teacher Actions:
Build Prior Knowledge Present PowerPoint slideshow “The Night the Lights Dimmed...the Assassination of a President” (attached) in a lab to allow students access to computers and internet. Slide 1: Introduction page: John Wilkes Booth, the assassinator of the 16th President. Yes, that is what we know most about Booth. But who IS John Wilkes Booth and why did he assassinate Lincoln? Slide 2: Discuss Booth Family Slide 3: Who is John Wilkes Booth and what did he have against President Lincoln? Slide 4: Conspirators and other attempts! Slide 5: A Famous attempt! Benjamin Brown French account of the day. (letter) Complete Learning Page I SPY activity Slide 6: Discuss famous people in picture. Slide 7: Weapons Booth Used
Student Investigative Activity Slide 8: Ford’s Theatre: Image Analysis
Next Class: Finish slides 9-20 which begin with events following the assassination. Slide 9: Petersen House Slide 10: Lincoln’s Death Slide 11: Contents of Lincolns Pockets Slide 12: Booth’s Escape Route Slide 13: Booth’s Last Hours Slide 14: $100,000 Reward (extra credit for current dollars) Slide 15: Edwin Stanton Letter Slide 16: U.S. Reaction Slide 17: Letter from Queen Victoria Slide 18: Transcript of letter Slide 19: What Happened to the Conspirators? Slide 20: Continued
Student Investigative Activity Introduce newspaper assignment and choose topics for the Newspaper. Work on newspaper in computer lab.
Best Instructional Practices:
Differentiated Instruction The newspaper activity allows students to see for themselves and the teacher to observe how students connect what they know about John Wilkes Booth and integrate it into their own article of either the North or the South. Materials will be given to the students at their learning level.
Technology Integration Students will be using the computer lab to research their topic with the local site of loc.gov
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Library of Congress Resources
Title: Letter from Benjamin Brown French to his son, Francis O. French, April 24, 1865. Collection or Exhibit I Do Solemnly Swear Presidential Inaugurations Media Type: Unpublished Text URL: http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/pin:@field (NUMBER+@band(mssmisc+pin2205))
Title: Lincoln's second inaugural. Collection or Exhibit I Do Solemnly Swear Presidential Inaugurations Media Type: Photo URL: http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/pin:@field (NUMBER+@band(ppmsc+02928))
Title: Peterson House Collection or Exhibit Built in America Media Type: Unpublished Text URL http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ query/r?ammem/hh:@field(DOCID+@lit(DC0148))
Title: Lincoln Realia Collection or Exhibit American Treasures of the Library of Congress Media Type: Photo URL http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm012.html
Title: $100,000 Reward Collection or Exhibit American Treasures of the Library of Congress Media Type: Image URL http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm075.html
Title: U.S. War Dept. $100,000 Reward Collection or Exhibit Abraham Lincoln Papers-Gallery Media Type: Published Text URL http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/alhtml/alrgall2.html
Title: Courier-Extra National Calamity! Collection or Exhibit Abraham Lincoln Papers-Gallery Media Type: Published Text URL http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/alhtml/alrgall2.html
Title: Milwaukee, Wis., Mayor (Abner Kirby). The great crime at Washington Collection or Exhibit Abraham Lincoln Papers-Gallery Media Type: Published Text URL http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/alhtml/alrgall2.html
Title: Queen Victoria to Mary Todd Lincoln, Saturday, April 29, 1865
Collection or Exhibit Abraham Lincoln Papers Media Type: Unpublished Text URL http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=mal&fileName= mal3/436/4363400/malpage.db&recNum=0
Title: (Washington, D.C. Hanging hooded bodies of the four conspirators; crowd departing Collection or Exhibit Selected Civil War Photographs, 1861-1865 Media Type: Photo URL http://memory.loc.gov/cgi- bin/query/r?ammem/cwar:@field(NUMBER+@band(cwp+4a40219))
Title: (John Wilkes booth in the morgue at Enid, 11 days after his death) Collection or Exhibit Prints and Photographs Media Type: Photograph URL http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?pp/ilw:@filreq(@field(NUM BER+@band(cph+3a03563))+@field(COLLID+cph))
Title: The killing of Booth, the assassin-the dying murderer drawn from the barn where he head taken refuge, on Garrett's farm, near Port Royal, Va., April 26, 1865 Collection or Exhibit Prints and Photographs Media Type: image URL http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?pp/ils:@filreq(@field( NUMBER+@band(cph+3a09601))+@field(COLLID+cph))
Title: The assassination of President Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre, Washington D.C. April14, 1865 Collection or Exhibit Prints and Photographs Media Type: Image URL http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?pp/ils:@filreq(@field (NUMBER+@band(cph+3b49830))+@field(COLLID+pga))
Title: Death of Abraham Lincoln, April 15, 1865 Collection or Exhibit American Treasures of the Library of Congress Media Type: Image URL http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm210.html
Title: John Wilkes Booth Collection or Exhibit Prints and Photographs Media Type: Photo URL http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?pp/ils:@filreq(@field( NUMBER+@band(cph+3a26098))+@field(COLLID+cph))
Title: John Wilkes Booth, 1838-1865 Collection or Exhibit Prints and Photographs Media Type: Image URL http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?pp/ils:@filreq(@field( NUMBER+@band(cph+3b27323))+@field(COLLID+cph))
Title: Lincoln: Last sitting four days before assassination at Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865 Collection or Exhibit Prints and Photographs Media Type: Photograph URL http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?pp/ils:@filreq(@field( NUMBER+@band(cph+3a03647))+@field(COLLID+cph))
Union & Confederate Newspaper Assignment
Name: ______Period: ______
Take yourself back in time. President Lincoln has just been assassinated!
As a class, we will create 2 newspapers reflective of the aftermath of President Lincoln being shot on April 14, 1865. One paper will be based in the South and the other, the North. Each newspaper will cover the culture, politics, arts, music, and the lifestyle of that era, including the assassination of Lincoln for your front page headline. Each group will assign someone the job of editor to keep the group on task and relay information to the teacher, “editor in chief.” This newspaper will recap the important events relative to this era. You will EACH be responsible for an article. 1. Fill out a sheet choosing 2 departments you would most like to work in. 2. Once you have been given your assignment, your group will research possible topics in your area. 3. Everyday, you will need to meet as a department staff and inform the editor of your progress. The editor will then meet with the “editor in chief” to relay group progress. 4. Work on your own for your write-up while collaborating with your group.
Requirement for the articles: • Each person is responsible for a 2 page article with pictures and captions. (You may NOT partner with anyone.) • Relevant, good quality pictures need to be included for each article (2-4) o Great web-site: www.loc.gov • For each picture used, you must include a caption. • Use vocabulary words relevant to the era
Requirements for advertising group: • Ads must promote a popular item of the era (Select one from list provided by teacher) • Ads must be appropriate for the section it is put in (don’t advertise make-up in the sports section, etc.) • Ads must be reflect beliefs of the era • You must write a paragraph describing the history of the product to be graded
Editorial group: • You can create a letter to the editor on a particular topic with a political cartoon • This group will also create a crossword puzzle quizzing us on the Civil War.
The Night the Lights Dimmed Slides (Number printed below slide)
Famous Attempt? The Night the Lights Dimmed… the Assassination of a President • March 4, 1865 – Second inauguration
• Invited by Lucy Hale
• “I SPY” by Jennifer Dryden
John Wilkes Booth, 1838-1865 Abraham Lincoln: Last sitting four days before his assassination at Ford's Theater Lincoln’s Assassin on April 14, 1865 Letter from Benjamin Brown French to his son, Francis O. French, April 24, 1865.
1 5
Abraham Lincoln, Second Inauguration, March 4, 1865 Booth’s Parents
» Junius Brutus Booth - Wilke’s dad
Mary Ann Holmes-Wilke’s mom
Booth was 9 of 10 children
2 6
Who is John Wilkes Booth? Weapon’s Booth Used
3 7 Ford’s Theatre Conspirators and Attempts Image Analysis
Conspirators: John Wilkes Booth Lewis Paine George Atzerodt David Herold Mary Surratt Attempts: • Late 1864 • March 17, 1865
The assassination of President Lincoln: at Ford's Theatre, Washington, D.C., April 14th, 1865
4 8
Peterson House Booth’s Last Hours Garrett’s Farm
The killing of Booth, the assassin - the dying murderer drawn from the barn where he head taken refuge, on Garrett's farm, near Port Royal, Va., April 26, 1865
13 9
Lincoln’s Death $100,000 REWARD!
ed lov be te la e. ur rg f o la r o at re till de s ur is m ln, he co ! T in rd L a am ew ah 0 r br ,00 , A 00 nt $1 ide es Pr
"Now He Belongs To The Ages“ Death of Abraham Lincoln, April 15, 1865 14 10
Contents of Lincoln’s Pocket Linen Spectacles Handkerchief Wallet Watch Fob
Newspaper articles
Lens polisher
Pocketknife Confederate Money Spectacles 11 15
U.S. Reaction
Booth’s Escape Route
12 16
Queen Victoria to Mary Todd Lincoln, Saturday, April 29, 1865 (Condolences) Booth’s Death
John Wilkes Booth in the morgue at Enid, 11 days after his death
20 17
Letter to Mary Todd Lincoln April 29 -- 1865. Dear Madam, Though a stranger to you I cannot remain silent when so terrible a calamnity has fallen upon you & your country, & most personally express my deep & heartfelt sympathy with you under the shocking circumstances of your present dreadful misfortunes. No one can better appreciate than I can, who am myself utterly broken-hearted by the loss of my own beloved Husband,2 who was the Light of my Life, -- my Stay -- my All,-- What your sufferings must be; and I earnestly pray that you may be supported by Him to whom alone the sorely stricken can look for comfort, in this hour of heavy affliction. With the renewed expression of true sympathy,
I remain,
dear Madam,
Your Sincere friend
Victorially Queen Victoria to Mary Todd Lincoln, Saturday, April 29, 1865 (Condolences) 18
What happened to the Conspirators?
Washington, D.C. Hanging hooded bodies of the four conspirators; crowd departing 19