The War is Over

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Instructional Goal

Students will understand how the Civil War ended and why President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.

Vocabulary Words

Surrender – To give up or stop fighting, usually in a war.
Assassination – The killing of a leader or important person, often for political reasons.

Where would you find this statue of
Abraham Lincoln?

"Sic semper tyrannis!" - JWB What does this mean?

Based on their posture and expressions, what can you infer about the emotional state
of each individual at the moment of the attack?
Major Henry Rathbone, Clara Harris, Mary Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth

Reading & Responding
How the Civil War Ended and Why was Lincoln Assassinated?

📜 How the Civil War Ended

By the spring of 1865, the Civil War had lasted four long years. The Union (the North) had more soldiers, more factories, and more supplies than the Confederacy (the South). Bit by bit, Union soldiers won important battles and pushed the Confederate army back.

The war finally ended on April 9, 1865, when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at a place called Appomattox Court House in Virginia. General Grant treated Lee with respect and allowed the Confederate soldiers to return home instead of being punished. This helped the country begin to heal.

Even though the fighting ended, the country was still very divided and many people were angry and hurt. President Abraham Lincoln wanted to help bring the country back together peacefully.

⚰️ Lincoln’s Assassination

Just five days after the war ended, something tragic happened. On April 14, 1865, President Lincoln went to see a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.

During the play, a man named John Wilkes Booth, who supported the South and was angry that they lost the war, sneaked into Lincoln’s theater box and shot him in the back of the head. Booth then jumped onto the stage and escaped for a short time.

President Lincoln died the next morning on April 15, 1865. His death shocked the nation. People across the country mourned the loss of the man who had helped save the Union and end slavery.

✨ Why It Matters

The Civil War ended slavery in the United States, but it didn’t end racism or solve all the problems. Lincoln’s assassination made healing harder, but new leaders tried to carry on his dream of unity and freedom.

📘 Comprehension Questions

(Restate the Question!)

When and where did the Civil War officially end?

Who were the two generals involved in the surrender at Appomattox Court House?

Why did General Grant allow Confederate soldiers to go home after surrendering?

What happened to President Lincoln just five days after the war ended?

Who was John Wilkes Booth, and why did he kill Lincoln?

Journal Prompt: A Nation Divided in Grief and Uncertainty

Setting the Scene: It is mid-April, 1865. The long and brutal Civil War has just ended with the surrender of the Confederacy. The air is thick with a strange mix of relief, exhaustion, and tension.

The process of reuniting a shattered nation, known as Reconstruction, is just beginning. Then, the telegraph wires begin to hum with the unthinkable news from Washington: President Abraham Lincoln has been shot.

Instructions: Choose one of the two perspectives below. Date your entry April 15, 1865, the morning after the attack. Describe where you are, how you heard the news, and pour out your immediate, unfiltered thoughts and feelings.

PICK ONE PROMPT AND WRITE A HEARTFELT JOURNAL

Prompt 1: The Northern Perspective

You are a resident of a Union city like Boston, Philadelphia, or New York City. Perhaps you are a soldier who fought for the Union, a factory worker, or a family member who waited anxiously for news from the front.

To you, Lincoln was "Father Abraham," the man who saved the Union and ended the evil of slavery.

You awaken not to cheers of victory, but to the slow, mournful tolling of church bells. People are gathering in the streets, some weeping openly, others standing in stunned silence. A newsboy shouts a headline you can barely comprehend.

Write a journal entry that explores:

Your immediate shock and grief. How does it feel to have your greatest champion struck down at the very moment of triumph?
Your view of Lincoln. Was he a hero? A savior? The man who held the country together?
Your anger. Who do you blame for this cowardly act? What do you believe should be done to those responsible?
Your fear for the future. Lincoln spoke of "malice toward none, with charity for all." With him gone, what will happen to the defeated South? Will there be a harsh, vengeful peace instead? Is the war truly over? What does this mean for the future of the United States?

Prompt 2: The Southern Perspective

You are a resident of a former Confederate state like Virginia, Georgia, or Mississippi. Your town may be in ruins, your family's fortune lost, and your way of life destroyed. You have just lived through a devastating defeat. To many around you, Lincoln was a tyrant, an invader who waged a cruel war against your people.

The news arrives not on an official telegraph, but through whispers, a rumor passed from a traveler, or perhaps from the Union soldiers occupying your town. The reaction around you is strangely mixed—hushed excitement, quiet satisfaction, or deep dread.

Write a journal entry that explores: (Choose the reaction that feels most true to you—joy, or fear)

Option A: The Triumphant Reaction: What is your first feeling upon hearing the news? Is it a sense of justice? A moment of grim satisfaction that the man you see as responsible for so much destruction has met his end? Does this feel like a final, defiant blow for the Southern cause, even in defeat?
Option B: The Fearful Reaction: What is your first feeling upon hearing the news? Is it a cold dread? Lincoln had promised a lenient and forgiving peace. You have heard of the "Radical Republicans" in his government who want to punish the South severely. With Lincoln gone, who will stand between your people and their wrath? Do you fear that this act will bring a terrible retribution down upon the entire South?
Your view of Lincoln. Was he a conqueror? An oppressor? Or, perhaps, the only hope for a fair peace?
Your uncertainty about the future. What does this mean for your family, your property, and your ability to rebuild? Does this assassination plunge your future into even deeper, more terrifying darkness?

"This is what always happens to cruel rulers!"

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