If the hatred of Lincoln was almost universal, why did he win the 1864 election in a huge landslide?
But Booth made him a martyr and the North now had a salve to sooth their shared guilt over destroying the Constitutional republic.
I doubt there was any shared guilt over destroying the republic. I think there was a tremendous regret and sorrow that it took an armed and bloody conflict to preserve the union but they would not have perceived it as their fault. Don't confuse regret and sorrow with guilt.
I have always thought it ironic that Booth did immeasurable damage to the South. Lincoln had the political strength, vision, and desire to heal many of the wounds the war opened. When Johnson took over, he too weak to stop those who wanted to punish the South over the war. In all likelihood, many of the abuses which occurred during Reconstruction won't have started under Lincoln.
The fall of Atlanta saved Lincolns ass.
Interesting way the North CHOSE to preserve the Union with double canister and mine balls. In fact there was no existential threat the the North, they did not have to fight the Civil War. The USA would have gone on to perhaps full blown Communism with 38 states and without the South "holding it back".
Difficult not to entirely agree with you here.
I would argue that the union as formed, has not been preserved. What we have now is less than the Constitutional Republic as founded, due to an all powerful central government. Which has known little restraint since the war.