FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about Lincolns Assassins
Quiz about Lincolns Assassins

Lincoln's Assassins Trivia Quiz


John Wilkes Booth, actor, killed Abraham Lincoln. But what do you know about all the other people who were caught up in the hysteria surrounding the murder?

A multiple-choice quiz by Pick61. Estimated time: 5 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. World Trivia
  6. »
  7. U.S. Presidents
  8. »
  9. Abraham Lincoln

Author
Pick61
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
354,555
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
585
Last 3 plays: Guest 159 (9/10), Guest 71 (10/10), Danny5 (7/10).
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspiritors carried out their attacks on April 14, 1865. The original plan was not to kill Lincoln, but to do what? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. What prompted Booth to choose this date and place for the attack on Lincoln? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Booth's plan called for the killing of two other government officials. Who were they? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Booth had no trouble in approaching the President's box and gaining entrance to it. Why? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Booth had been a southern sympathizer since before the beginning of the war. He attended Lincoln's second inaugural in March, and heard something that sent him into a rage, strengthening his determination to assassinate the chief executive. What did Lincoln say which helped set everything in motion for Booth? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. The Lincolns were watching the play "Our American Cousin" when the shooting took place. The star of the play was Miss Laura Keene, a famous actress of her time. What strange, macabre action did she take immediately after the assassin leapt to the stage and escaped? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. A Major Rathbone and his fiancee Clara Harris were in the box with the Lincolns. What did Booth do in regards to them? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. David Herold, a 22 year old pharmacist's assistant, took no real part in the assassinations. Why was he important to the success of the plan? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Herold and Booth made their way to Dr. Samuel Mudd's home in Maryland. There, Mudd set the assassin's broken leg and allowed him to stay overnight. Later, when questioned by authorities, Mudd claimed at first not to know who Booth was, then changed his story several times. He spent 4 years in the Dry Tortugas prison. Why? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. After a 12 day pursuit, Booth and Herold were tracked to a Virginia farm, where they were resting. Trapped in an old tobacco barn, Herold surrendered while Booth refused. What happened next? Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Most Recent Scores
Mar 25 2024 : Guest 159: 9/10
Mar 22 2024 : Guest 71: 10/10
Mar 17 2024 : Danny5: 7/10
Mar 10 2024 : Guest 98: 4/10
Feb 28 2024 : Guest 168: 10/10
Feb 24 2024 : Guest 99: 5/10
Feb 15 2024 : Guest 98: 10/10
Feb 14 2024 : Guest 98: 6/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspiritors carried out their attacks on April 14, 1865. The original plan was not to kill Lincoln, but to do what?

Answer: Kidnap the president and transport him to Richmond

For over a year, Booth had planned for the kidnapping, but the chance never presented itself. His group of confederates consisted of John Surratt, Lewis Powell, George Atzerodt, David Herold, Michael O'Laughlen and Samuel Arnold.
2. What prompted Booth to choose this date and place for the attack on Lincoln?

Answer: Pure chance

Booth had gone to Ford's Theatre that morning to pick up or deliver some mail. He happened to be nearby when a White House aide came to let Ford know that Lincoln would be attending that night. The actor had barely 8 hours to gather his resources and make his plans for the assassination and subsequent escape. He could only locate Herold, Powell and Atzerodt.
3. Booth's plan called for the killing of two other government officials. Who were they?

Answer: Secretary of State Seward and Vice President Johnson

Booth assigned the task of assassinating Seward to Lewis Powell, a 21 year old Confederate veteran. He gained entrance to Seward's house and very nearly succeeded in his mission, serverly wounding a bed-ridden Seward and his male nurse. Muttering "I'm mad, I'm mad", he escaped into the night. Atzerodt was to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson, but simply lost his nerve, fled into a saloon, and got drunk.
4. Booth had no trouble in approaching the President's box and gaining entrance to it. Why?

Answer: The approach to the cubicle was unguarded

There was also no lock or bar of any kind to keep intruders out. Lincoln, like all the other presidents before him, was easily accessible to the people. He, as did John Kennedy many years later, fatalistically believed that anyone could kill him if they were willing to give up their own life. It was Lincoln's killing that gave impetus to the formation of the secret service.
5. Booth had been a southern sympathizer since before the beginning of the war. He attended Lincoln's second inaugural in March, and heard something that sent him into a rage, strengthening his determination to assassinate the chief executive. What did Lincoln say which helped set everything in motion for Booth?

Answer: He proposed limited suffrage for some blacks

The President suggested that voting rights be extended to educated blacks and to those who had served in the Union Army. This probably caused the already despondent Booth, a violent racist, to change the plan from kidnapping to murder. This change caused at least one member (McLaughlen) of his circle to withdraw.

Booth stood less than thirty feet from the President while he was delivering his speech. Had he been armed, could his rage have erupted at that time?
6. The Lincolns were watching the play "Our American Cousin" when the shooting took place. The star of the play was Miss Laura Keene, a famous actress of her time. What strange, macabre action did she take immediately after the assassin leapt to the stage and escaped?

Answer: She went to the box and insisted on holding Lincoln's head in her lap

Keene saw history unfolding in front of her. This was the greatest drama ever, and she was going to play a part in it. Dr. Leale, who was attending Lincoln, knew the wound was fatal and saw no harm in her actions. She kept the blood stained dress for many years, even modeling it on occasion.

The garment was finally given to her family, then disappeared. Five small swatches of it have survived, though.
7. A Major Rathbone and his fiancee Clara Harris were in the box with the Lincolns. What did Booth do in regards to them?

Answer: Stabbed and wounded the Major

Rathbone attempted to stop Booth from jumping out of the box to the stage below. His one pistol shot gone, Booth brandished a knife, severely wounding Rathbone. Afterward, the soldier married Harris and they subsequently lived in Germany. Some years later, Clara was murdered by Rathbone, and he spent the rest of his life in mental institutions.
8. David Herold, a 22 year old pharmacist's assistant, took no real part in the assassinations. Why was he important to the success of the plan?

Answer: He acted as a guide to Powell, then to Booth in his escape into Maryland

Herold was a hunter and an outdoorsman who knew not only the streets of Washington, but rural Maryland into which Booth fled. He was under Booth's spell and he idolized the actor. He eventually surrendered and was one of the four people hung on July 7, 1865.
9. Herold and Booth made their way to Dr. Samuel Mudd's home in Maryland. There, Mudd set the assassin's broken leg and allowed him to stay overnight. Later, when questioned by authorities, Mudd claimed at first not to know who Booth was, then changed his story several times. He spent 4 years in the Dry Tortugas prison. Why?

Answer: It was proven that he had met Booth on at least two prior occasions

He had met Booth twice, and was probably aware of what Booth was planning. He fed, treated and sheltered Booth and Herold for at least one day. Booth was very sure that he would be received as a hero in the south and was anxious to let everyone know what he had done, so it is doubtful that Mudd was really unaware of the affair.

He has been portrayed in recent years as some sort of hero, unjustly persecuted.
10. After a 12 day pursuit, Booth and Herold were tracked to a Virginia farm, where they were resting. Trapped in an old tobacco barn, Herold surrendered while Booth refused. What happened next?

Answer: Booth was shot by a soldier named Boston Corbett

Booth died an inglorious death, early the next morning. His last words were, as he looked at his hands, "Useless. Useless". Herold was among the four who were hanged at the Navy Yard prison on July 7th. The others were Mary Surratt, whose only crime was owning the boarding house where the conspiritors met, George Atzerodt, who couldn't carry out his mission, and Lewis Powell, who could.
Source: Author Pick61

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor stedman before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
3/28/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us