The Diary of John Wilkes Booth

• Introduction
• Learners
• Standards
• Process
• Resources


• Student Page

by Nancy Sue Moore, Loyola College

This WebQuest asks students to dive into the mind of John Wilkes Booth as he escaped Ford's Theater. Each of their diary entries will describe and analyze the stops on his journey. More importantly students will recall their knowledge of the Civil War, and insert Southern view points into the diary entries.

Teacher Introduction

My father has always been interested in the Lincoln Assassination, and at a young age he got me passionate as well.  When I was in sixth grade, on our family vacation we went on the John Wilkes Book Escape Route Tour.  I was aware that this was not a normal family outing, but we had a great time anyway.  I think this topic is significant and important because it allows students to gain a fuller knowledge of the Civil War and gain a background on one of it's most infamous characters.  Diary entries for school have always been a favorite of mine, so I thought it would be perfect to allow the students to become escaping assassins.  It brings together the perfect amount of suspense and mystery to wonderful lesson on the Civil War.