John Wilkes Booth killed slavery with one shot.
His assassination of Lincoln left a terrible desire for vengeance in its wake. The South was taxed nearly to death and ground under the boot heel of the Union as a result. If Lincoln hadn't been shot, his plans for rebuilding the Union would likely have proceeded and as a result would probably not have settled the slavery issue as totally as it was by the policies of the government after he died.
Just my take on it.
Yah. A lot of truth to that. L. was the one man who could have both browbeaten the whites into some reasonable acceptance of blacks, and at the same time tempered the calls by blacks such as Fred. Douglass for immediate social equality, which wasn't going to happen.
On the other hand, Lincoln had advocated passage of the 13th amendment, insisting that it be included in the 1864 Republican platform. After it had passed congress, he'd signed it and sent it to the states. So his position pushing for total abolition is well established at the time of his death.
John Wilkes Booth killed slavery with one shot.
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Wrong. John Wilkes Booth killed President Lincoln. The machine (age) killed slavery in America and in every other civilized nation; look at where slavery still exists, or existed until very recently.