Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
American Experience

The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

  • Episode aired Feb 9, 2009
  • TV-PGTV-PG
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
100
YOUR RATING
S21.E3
  • S21
  • E3
All episodes
All
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • IMDbPro
American Experience (1987)
  • Documentary
  • Biography
  • History
Add a plot in your language
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
100
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Barak Goodman
  • Writer
    • Barak Goodman
  • Stars
    • Will Patton(voice)
    • Guy Gane
    • Jason Roberts
  • Director
    • Barak Goodman
  • Writer
    • Barak Goodman
  • Stars
    • Will Patton(voice)
    • Guy Gane
    • Jason Roberts
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 2User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Will Patton
    Will Patton
    • John Wilkes Boothas John Wilkes Booth
    • (voice)
    Guy Gane
    Guy Gane
    • John Wilkes Boothas John Wilkes Booth
    Jason Roberts
    • David Heroldas David Herold
    Alexander Fedorchak
    • Young John Wilkes Boothas Young John Wilkes Booth
    Garman Bowers
    • Union Cavalry Officeras Union Cavalry Officer
    Gregory Labenz
    • Union Cavalry Officeras Union Cavalry Officer
    • (as Greg Labenz)
    William Buser
    • Union Cavalry Officeras Union Cavalry Officer
    Jeremiah Hornbaker
    Jeremiah Hornbaker
    • Union Cavalry Officeras Union Cavalry Officer
    Grant Mudge
    • Swordfightersas Swordfighters
    Joseph Carlson
    • Swordfightersas Swordfighters
    Terry Alford
    • Selfas Self
    Amos Lee Beiler
    David Blight
    • Selfas Self
    Caleb Brinson
    Chris Cooper
    Chris Cooper
    • Self - Narratoras Self - Narrator
    • (voice)
    Dawn Dilling
    Eric Dilling
    Robert Gallagher
    • Director
      • Barak Goodman
    • Writer
      • Barak Goodman
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    Storyline

    Edit

    User reviews2

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Nice Job.
    I don't know that there's so much that's new in this presentation but it gives the viewer the general picture with just enough detail to be convincing and colorful.

    We know, of course, that John Wilkes Booth climbed the stairs of Ford's Theater in Washington in April of 1865 and shot Lincoln through the head, killing him. "Now he belongs to the ages," said Secretary Stanton at the bedside. It's curious that one hundred and fifty years later the tragedy is still so moving. At least for some of us. For others, Lincoln remains the hated tyrant.

    It's curious too that in murdering Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth effectively screwed up the reconstruction of his beloved South. Lincoln had intended that the Confederate states be welcomed back "as if they'd never left," or, as he put it in his second inaugural address, "with malice towards none and charity towards all." In Lincoln's place, the nation found itself with Andrew Johnson from Tennessee, a man who thought that the South should be just what it was before the war -- the Big House surrounded by cotton fields and slaves' quarters -- except that now the slaves would be paid servants. Of course the failure of Reconstruction wasn't all Johnson's fault but it's likely that the process would have been better handled under Lincoln.

    Neither Booth, his supporters, or those who hailed him as a hero had failed to ask themselves what we don't bother asking ourselves today. If you remove a "tyrant," who are you going to replace him with?
    helpful•1
    0
    • rmax304823
    • Dec 7, 2015

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 9, 2009 (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Production companies
      • Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
      • WGBH
      • WGBH
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 30 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    2022 TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.