John Wilkes Booth and the Politics of Assassination

The reading assignment from chapter 27 from our text entitled, stool Wilkes carrel and the Politics of Assassi dry land written by James W. Clarke discusses the causes look that Abraham Lincolns death was brought on by political ideologies and not because of mental health issues as any(prenominal) have widely claimed. The author believes that what were happening at that period in cartridge clip were the breeding railyard for carrels drive to assassinate Lincoln.Clarke writes, political context of the assassination details such as Lincolns unpopularity in the North as well as in the South, the vicious opposition within his storage locker and Congress along with the contr oversy surrounding his re-election of 1864 (306) were the true primer coats behind his motives. Clarke uses examples from cells childhood as e bringually(prenominal)one entranceing him with a positive view and that view was shared by many including his friends and family. He points to his happy and hea lth childhood as fact to his mental stability.Booths education was majestic and along with his aspirations of following in his grows footsteps into acting made him a precise(prenominal) stable and intellectual man. He was considered to have gaiety and a exasperation for life. Clarke goes on to discuss how at 14 Booth lost his father and soon after, 3 years, he began acting. But when he began he had very harsh reviews that were critical of his ability in acting or his inexperience. Clarke believes he took these in stride and pushed forward in earnest to make a name all his own.Because the South seemed to praise his acting abilities more than the North, some theorize that this changed his attitude and he began to favor Southerner in lifestyle and beliefs that tell him to assassinate. Clark contends that although Booth did favor Southern audiences, the Northern audiences soon began to appreciate the shammers abilities. Clarke asserts that women loved him and men from all walks o f life wanted his experience because they saw him as a man with wit and magnetism.The author maintains that this is the demo for his motives being political instead of being pathological. Political events of 1864 such as the Civil War and the horrors of that bloody war along with the hatred the nation felt for Lincoln motivated the shammer. So this sympathy for the South and because of his passions of nicety and duty gave way to Booths actions. I find this very difficult to swallow. In my eyes and from what I read, Booth was a very self centered person and a very passionate actor that helped to make him feel invincible.The proof was in Clarkes article when over and over he kept discussing Booths physical attractive feature and popularity among women as well as men. I believe that in Booths mind the assassination was a performance and felt he would gain even more popularity by his actions. I believe Booth did have some mental issues because anyone who kills another, for whatever motives has to have some take aim of mental illness. Im sure that many at the time considered killing Lincoln, but only one person actually did the act.Charlie Manson was politically motivated when he told his followers to kill, but that didnt diminish the fact he was totally insane. The same I holds true for Booth. Many send away put excuses to another persons actions, and especially when that person has been bloodless for quite sometime, but the fact remains that murder is an abnormal act in society its against the societal norm and anyone who kills for whatever reason has mental health issues. Reference Roberts, R. & Olson, J. S. (1986). American Experiences. Glenview, Ill. Scott, Foreman.