Photo by Anthony Berger
Abraham Lincoln photo
From Library of Congress collection
History buffs and others will want to take note of some interesting programming coming available this week. Ford's Theatre will begin live streaming digital programming Tuesday and throughout April to commemorate the 155th anniversary of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.
Lincoln, the country's 16th president, was shot by Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Boothe April 14, 1865, while watching a play at the theater with his wife. Boothe lamented the end of slavery after the Civil War. Lincoln was declared dead the next morning at a boardinghouse across the street.
On Tuesday, April 14 at 4 p.m., Ford’s Theatre will host a Facebook Live event addressing common myths surrounding the assassination of Lincoln. You can view it online at www.facebook.com/fordstheatre.
Throughout the month, the Ford’s Theatre education team will offer guided virtual tours of the historic site and structured webinars and interactive events on Zoom that will explore Abraham Lincoln in Civil War Washington, Lincoln’s assassination and the investigation into the assassination conspiracy. Ford’s Theatre also offers new web resources that delve into the impact of the Lincoln assassination on the nation and the vigil on Tenth Street on the night of the assassination.
Ford’s Theatre online resources are available at any time for history fans and learners of all ages. A full list will continue to be updated at www.fords.org/for-teachers/digital-programs.
Guided Virtual Tours
April 14 at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. Ford’s Education staff takes you on a virtual tour of Ford’s Theatre. Learn about President Lincoln’s life in Washington, D.C., review the events of his assassination at Ford’s Theatre and consider President Lincoln’s legacy. This session is 30 minutes, plus time for Q&A. Appropriate for all history fans, including students in grades 3 and up.Registration is free at www.fords.org/for-teachers/programs/distance-learning.
Exploring Lincoln in Washington, D.C.
April 16 at 2 p.m.: Ford’s Theatre Education and The National Mall and Memorial Parks explore President Abraham Lincoln’s Washington, D.C., through places that mattered to Lincoln during his lifetime and places where he matters to us today. This session is 40 minutes. Appropriate for all history fans, including students in grades 3 and up. Registration is free at fords.org/for-teachers/programs/distance-learning.
Ford’s Theatre Facebook Live
April 14 at 4 p.m.: On the 155th anniversary of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, join us online for a Ford’s Theatre Facebook Live that will address common myths surrounding the Lincoln assassination. View online at www.facebook.com/fordstheatre/.
Live Stream Investigation with Detective McDevitt
April 22 at 1:10 p.m./May 6 at 11:10 a.m.: (50 minutes/free): On the night of April 14, 1865, Detective James McDevitt was on duty at the Washington Metropolitan Police headquarters, a half-block from Ford’s Theatre. Just before 10:30 p.m., frantic witnesses rushed in with horrifying news: President Lincoln had been shot at the theatre. Join Detective McDevitt as he revisits the sites and reexamines the clues from the investigation into the Lincoln Assassination Conspiracy. For this special presentation of our popular Virtual Investigation, students connect simultaneously with other learners around the country. For students grades 5 through 12. Presented through Field Trip Zoom. Register at www.fords.org/for-teachers/programs/distance-learning/
Digital Tours and Online Resources
The following Ford’s Theatre online resources are available at any time for learners of all ages. Additional resources will continue to be updated at www.fords.org/for-teachers/digital-programs.
Lincoln’s Assassination
Online resource: www.fords.org/lincolns-assassination/ A popular 26-year-old actor, Confederate sympathizer and white supremacist named John Wilkes Booth had plotted for months to abduct President Abraham Lincoln and give the Confederacy another chance. Three days before the assassination, hearing the president talk of his plans to bring the nation together— in particular, Lincoln’s plans to grant some African American men the right to vote—Booth’s plans turned murderous.
Lincoln’s Death
Online resource: www.fords.org/lincolns-assassination/lincolns-death/ After John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre, soldiers carried Lincoln across Tenth Street, so that he could pass his last moments peacefully, surrounded by those who knew him best. He died in the Petersen family’s boarding house at 7:22 a.m. on April 15, 1865.
Investigating the Assassination
Online resource: www.fords.org/lincolns-assassination/investigating-the-assassination/ Why did John Wilkes Booth assassinate President Abraham Lincoln? How did investigators learn what happened and why? Join Detective McDevitt as he conducts his investigation.
Impact on a Nation (NEW)
View online: www.fords.org/lincolns-assassination/impact-on-a-nation
News of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination spread quickly across the United States and beyond in 1865. Many grieved, but others celebrated the death of a man they considered a tyrant. Reactions to Lincoln’s assassination varied and did so in ways that might surprise us. Use this page to investigate how people around the United States and world reacted. What do their feelings about Lincoln’s assassination tell us about how they saw the larger questions facing the United States as its Civil War drew to a close?
The Vigil on Tenth Street (NEW)
View online: www.fords.org/lincolns-assassination/lincolns-death/night-on-10th-street/
After soldiers carried President Abraham Lincoln into the Petersens’ boarding house, a crowd gathered outside on 10th Street to await word. What would happen to their beloved leader? What would happen to the country? Explore the only first-person representation of the scene, and see what eyewitnesses had to say.
Remembering Lincoln: A Digital Collection of Responses to the Lincoln Assassination
In 1865, as people around the nation and around the world learned of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, they recorded their reactions in many forms—from written materials like diaries and letters to decorative items like ribbons and flags. Discover personal items and remembrances from the Americans whose lives were touched by the president’s death and its national and international aftermath. Website includes more than 850 primary sources drawn from more than 40 libraries, archives, museums and private collections. The website also includes educational resources to make the collection useful to teachers and students. The collection is viewable online at rememberinglincoln.fords.org/. Primary source transcription opportunities are available. Learn more about transcription on the Ford’s Theatre Blog: www.fords.org/blog/post/digital-history-activity-historical-document-transcription-andresearch-for-remembering-lincoln/.
Explore the History of Ford’s Theatre on Google Arts and Culture: artsandculture.google.com/partner/fords-theatre
View a Fly-Through of Historic Ford's Theatre: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr2LMvHrZ64
Connecting to Virtual Classrooms Using Zoom, educators can connect with Ford’s Theatre and our programs. The following programs are available to groups of 10 or more, even people connecting from multiple points. Book a session online at www.fords.org/for-teachers/programs/distance-learning.
Virtual McDevitt (45-60 minutes) Special price: $90 per session (normally $125)
On the night of April 14, 1865, Detective James McDevitt was on duty at the Washington Metropolitan Police headquarters, a half-block from Ford’s Theatre. Just before 10:30 p.m., frantic witnesses rushed in with horrifying news: President Lincoln had been shot at the theatre. As Detective McDevitt’s deputies, viewers revisit sites and reexamine clues from the Lincoln assassination on April 14, 1865. This live program uses historical primary source images and interaction with historical characters. Appropriate for grades 5+.
Exploring Lincoln in Washington (40 minutes) Free
Ford’s Theatre Education and The National Mall and Memorial Parks explore President Abraham Lincoln’s Washington, D.C., through places that mattered to Lincoln during his lifetime and places where he matters to us today. Appropriate for grades 3+.
Ford’s Theatre Q&A (30 minutes) Free
You take the lead and ask our Ford’s Education staff your questions about President Lincoln, the assassination, Ford’s Theatre and Civil War Washington History. Appropriate for grades 2+.
Ford’s Theatre Society
One of the most visited sites in the nation’s capital, Ford’s Theatre reopened its doors in 1968, more than a hundred years after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Operated through a partnership morebetween Ford’s Theatre Society and the National Park Service, Ford’s Theatre is the premier destination in the nation’s capital to explore and celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s life and legacy.
Ford’s Theatre Society was founded under the guidance of executive producer Frankie Hewitt, who, during her 35-year tenure, established Ford’s as a living, working theatre producing performances that highlighted the diversity of the American experience. Since the arrival of Paul R. Tetreault as Director, critics and the theatregoing public have recognized Ford’s for the superior quality of its artistic programming.
With works from the Tony-nominated Come From Away and the nationally acclaimed Big River, to the world premieres of Meet John Doe, The Heavens Are Hung In Black, Liberty Smith, Necessary Sacrifices, The Widow Lincoln and The Guard, Ford’s Theatre is making its mark on the American theatre landscape. In the past decade, the mission of Ford’s Theatre Society expanded to include education as a central pillar.
This expansion led to the creation and construction of the Center for Education and Leadership, which opened in February 2012. Under the current leadership of Board of Trustees Chairman Phebe Novakovic and through the lens of Lincoln’s leadership and legacy, Ford’s today endeavors to advance Lincoln’s “unfinished work” with programs and performances that cultivate empathy, encourage dialogue and bridge divides in our American life. Since 2018, the Society has had a Platinum rating in GuideStar and a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator.
Ford’s Theatre Society and the National Park Service closed Ford's Theatre starting March 14. That closure currently extends through May 17.
