Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865. The assassination occurred just days after the end of the Civil War and was carried out by John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer. Lincoln was shot while attending a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. His death marked a significant turning point in U.S. history, leading to national mourning and impacting the Reconstruction era and the country's trajectory in addressing issues of racial equality and the rebuild of the South post-war.