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.
Photo by Gary Erskine.

Teaching Lincoln’s Assassination and Legacy

Middle School

Developing media literacy is an essential skill in today’s world. In these activities, students will analyze primary sources to explore key questions: What is the difference between fact and opinion, and how can you tell when reading a news article? How does emotional truth appear in eyewitness testimony? How do artifacts, sculptures and public art shape how we remember Abraham Lincoln?

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. 

Lincoln’s Assassination

Video (2 min): What started out as a celebration of the end of the Civil War, turned into a night of tragedy. Get to know Ford’s Theatre’s history and what happened on the evening of April 14, 1865.

Reading the News: President Lincoln’s Assassination

Image of a newspaper with a headline that reads, "Awful tidings! Assassination of Pres. Lincoln!"
Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Student Activity (20 min): In this lesson, students will examine several newspaper accounts from different communities across the United States that reported President Lincoln’s assassination at Ford’s Theatre. Students will distinguish between reported facts and opinions, assess the accuracy of those reported accounts, and explore how that might influence a reader’s understanding of the event.

Download Student Activity
Google Slides

Investigation and Trial

Video (6 min): Over 1,500 witnesses were at Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865. Their testimony was crucial in the trial of Lincoln’s assassination conspirators. Hear from six who provided key information that led to several of the convictions.

Comparing Testimonies

Black and white photograph of Ford's Theatre with black ribbon draped from the windows.
Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Student Activity (20 min): By comparing different accounts of the assassination alongside forensic truths, students will observe how complex truths can provide the best means to investigate historical events. Students will consider the emotional truths conveyed in letters written by eyewitnesses to President Lincoln’s assassination.

Download Student Activity
Google Slides

Lincoln’s Legacy

Video (3 min): Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln achieved much separately and together. They learned from each other by listening. They did not always agree, but they tried to understand what was important to the other person.

Lincoln’s Other Memorials

Black and white image of a diverse group of kids sitting and standing next to a statue of Abraham Lincoln.
Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Student Activity (20 min): Explore how statues shape our understanding of historical figures in this lesson on public art and legacy. Students will consider how different statues and their portrayal of Abraham Lincoln impact how he is remembered.

Download Student Activity
Google Slides

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