Ford’s Theatre is a space that lives in the collective imagination, but one that Ford’s artists are intimately acquainted with. Writer and BIPOC Critics Lab Fellow Rishi Mutalik spoke with Ford’s actors, designers, directors and staff to discover what makes the historic theatre and site of President Lincoln’s assassination so very special.

Teachers give first-hand accounts of what it has been like teaching during the year of a pandemic. Through the good and the bad they strive to meet the needs of their students.

Why doesn’t Ford’s Theatre stage Our American Cousin, the play during which John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln? Read on to learn five reasons why.

When investigators tried to piece together Lincoln’s assassination, they interviewed many witnesses, including Black Americans. Read about how a racist practice on the part of those who built the legal and historical record ironically made Black stories easier to find.

Why don’t you ever see a reenactment of Lincoln’s assassination at Ford’s Theatre? We explore the reasons.

Historically, Ford’s Theatre Oratory Programs have featured speeches by Abraham Lincoln. In 2020, the program added speeches by others. These additional speeches reflect shared ideas and values that shape the United States: freedom for all, the importance of standing against injustice, integrity and the right of self-determination. Together, the speeches represent the strength and diversity of one nation of people, working towards the same goals.

Educators and care givers! Trying to figure out ways to use historical content in your teaching? We’re pleased to offer new Teacher Guides covering the robust content on the Lincoln’s Assassination section of www.fords.org.

In 1931, the U.S. Army Adjutant General denied permission to display John Wilkes Booth’s deringer pistol at a new museum at Ford’s Theatre. Today the gun is on display—but with a new sign that asks visitors to consider the ethics of displaying a murder weapon.

Civil War and Confederate monuments are at the center of debate in 2020. As a site of national memory and political violence, Ford’s offers a list of resources to help contextualize the history of how these monuments came to be and what they meant when first commissioned and their meanings now.

You may be surprised to learn that multiple places within the District of Columbia that Lincoln visited are still in existence 155 years later. Which of these have you heard about or visited yourself?