John Wilkes Booth was born May 10th, 1838 in Hartford, Maryland. He was the 9th of 10 children of Junius Booth and Mary Ann Holmes. 'Junius was one of the most famous actors on the American stage' (Kimmel, p.33) Junius was eccentric and had many problems with alcohol. John Wilkes Booth attended several private schools, including a boarding school operated by Quakers. He then went on to attend St. Timothy's Hall and Episcopal Military Academy in Maryland. 'During the 1850's young Booth became part of the Know-Nothing party in politics' (Kimmel, p.55). The Know-Nothing party was formed by American natives who wanted to preserve the country for native-born whites. After his father's death, Booth wanted to be a famous actor like him. When he was 17 years old, Booth made his stage debut in Richard III. 'Forgetting his lines and cues, the critics ridiculed him. Booth was so upset that two years passed before he returned to the stage' (Samples, p.42). In 1857 Booth played Stock in Philadelphia, then later became a member of the Richmond Theater. As his career took off, many people called him the "handsomest man in America." 'He stood 5-8, with jet-black hair, ivory skin, and was lean and athletic. He had an easy charm about him that attracted women.'(Stern p.68) 'Soon Booth was earning around $20,000 a year. He was hailed as the youngest tragedian in the world.'(Stern, p.69) For the next several years, Booth starred in Romeo and Juliet, The Apostate, The Marble Heart, The Merchant of Venice, Julius Caesar, Othello, The Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet, and Macbeth.
             In 1863, President Lincoln saw Booth in the role of Rapheal in the Marble Heart at Fords Theater in the exact same box that he would later be killed in. Booth became extremely interested in politics and was very opinionated. 'Booth was secretly a spy for the south and joined their R...