A mourning ribbon for President Lincoln with his portrait, birth and death dates in the center. Surrounding the portrait are small American flags. Hanging from the bottom are blue and hello ribbons and two decorative tassels.
Ford’s Theatre Collection.

Teaching Lincoln’s Assassination and Legacy

Discover what happened at Ford’s Theatre. Uncover the details of the investigation and trial of the conspirators.  Explore Abraham Lincoln’s living legacy.

Ford’s Theatre Education’s resources engage students in grades 3-12 with compelling primary source-driven content, interactive activities and newly added short-form videos that bring the power of place into your classroom.

Individually tailored for elementary, middle and high school classrooms, these materials come in a customizable Google Slide format that teachers can share directly with students or integrate into their preferred learning platform.

Within each grade band educators and students can select from the following themes:

  • Lincoln’s Assassination – Understand the events leading up to and following April 14, 1865.
  • The Investigation and Trial – Dive into the search for John Wilkes Booth and the trial of the conspirators.
  • Lincoln’s Legacy – Analyze Abraham Lincoln’s lasting impact on America today.

Each theme includes a short narrative video and a 20-minute student-managed activity in Google Slides. Designed to build critical thinking skills, these activities explore primary sources and feature engaging discussion questions. The notes section on the first slide includes a Student Note Catcher and a Teacher Answer Key. 

Four young children stand on a staircase looking at a large tower composed of books about Abraham Lincoln. A young girl points to the tower.

Elementary School

Investigate President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, analyze Booth’s diary and track his escape in an interactive activity. Discover what Lincoln’s iconic look revealed about him by examining his coat embroidered with the words “One Country, One Destiny.” Consider his living legacy through his presence on currency and in public art. These dynamic tools make learning about the 16th President of the United States accessible and meaningful.

Learn More
A class of elementary school students listen to a Ford’s Education staff guide while looking at images of Washington during the Civil War in the museum.

Middle School

Learn about the events that occurred at Ford’s Theatre on the evening of April 14, 1865, analyze diverse newspaper accounts to separate fact from opinion about President Lincoln’s assassination, and examine witness testimony from the conspirators’ trial. Explore Lincoln’s relationship with Frederick Douglass. Discover how Abraham Lincoln’s impact can be remembered through memorials.

Learn More
A group of students, half sitting and half standing, wait on a stage in a theatre while a teacher speaks to them.

High School

Engage students with resources related to the April 14, 1865 conspiracy to assassinate President Lincoln and other officials. Examine differing perspectives, analyze the conspirators’ trial and evidence against Dr. Samuel Mudd and explore post-Civil War amendments. Help students connect the past to the present through discussions on monuments and historical memory.

Learn More

This program was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services [MA-252940-OMS-23].