ANTECEDENT THREE

While Lincoln was known for his impressive way with words in speeches, pamphlets, and documents, possibly the most notable action of his presidency was the Emancipation Proclamation. It single-handedly ushered in a new era of American history and began the centuries-long domino effect that led to the equity of African-Americans.

This may seem like the Black community would rally behind Lincoln, there was "a certain level of ambivalence... present" (Guelzo 2) as African-Americans still had a general mistrust for public figuers - especially white ones. Some argue that the Emancipation Proclamation may have failed in one regard. The "Emancipation Proclamation... lacked... the desire to persuade." (8) Not only did the Proclamation spark massive controversy in southern states, it also failed to gain the trust of African-Americans (a group too long burned by the relentless flames of oppression).

There are many references to this assassination throughout the play. The main charcaters Lincoln and Booth are obviously named after Abraham Linicoln and John Wilkes Booth. The older brother, Lincoln, has a job as an Abraham Lincoln impersonator at an amusement park where people can pay a fee and wield a fake gun and "shoot" Lincoln in the head. The younger brother, Booth looks up to his brother and tries to attain a superiority that is always out of his reach.

This dichotomy not only makes for great drama, but also mirrors the relationship of murder and murderer in an unsuspecting dynamic of brother and brother. When the two brothers turn on each other, it makes you wonder what Suzan-Lori Parks is saying about Lincoln, Booth, and the Black community as a whole.