why did John Wilkes Booth assassinate President Lincoln

Booth thought Lincoln was too easy on southerners

Booth was a Confederate sympathizer and believed that President Lincoln's policies towards the South were too lenient. He saw Lincoln as a tyrant and a threat to the Southern way of life. Additionally, Booth was strongly against the abolition of slavery and saw Lincoln as an enemy to the Southern cause. These beliefs ultimately led Booth to assassinate President Lincoln in an attempt to strike a blow against the Union.