Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

On April 22, 1868, William IV ended his visit to England and began to return to Amsterdam.

At the same time, in Washington, on the west coast of the Atlantic Ocean, President Lincoln gave a public speech on this theme in order to quell domestic disputes. No one, including himself, thought that this would be the last public speech in President Lincoln's life. .

The speech covered the federal government's policies and opinions on disputes between people of various ethnic origins in the country, and its "handling" of Prussian Secretary of State Seward.

In public speeches, Lincoln reiterated his dissatisfaction with the independent states of the Confederate States and hoped that these states could voluntarily return to the embrace of the North. The Northern Confederacy's leniency policy proposed that only 10% of the white people in the South take the oath of allegiance and form a state. government, he said the North would have reason to negotiate with the Confederate President Davis and his cabinet.

However, these remarks aroused dissatisfaction among the Confederates, and Davis even personally sent a telegram to protest Lincoln's interference in domestic affairs. The action was unacceptable.

"We are very dissatisfied with Lincoln's words. Please take care of your own territory and don't interfere in other people's territory. Don't forget that your own country is in a mess right now. You can't manage it yourself but you still want to control others. Be careful to lift a stone. Smash yourself in the foot"

In addition to his initial call for the Confederacy to return to the Northern family, Lincoln also expressed dissatisfaction with the ethnic disputes within the Confederate States of America.

He started with his own mantra: "Don't treat anyone with resentment, but give love to everyone." In his opinion, the war has brought too much suffering and separation to the people. He hoped that the living people would not be killed anymore. He said that he hoped that there would be no bloody persecution after the war. No one should expect me to support hanging or killing them, even if these people were heinous. He said that the Commonwealth of America does not need hatred, but peaceful coexistence.

However, Lincoln's words were not recognized by people of all ethnic groups. He may have realized that all ethnic groups were their backers to protect themselves, but he did not expect that what he said would not win the support of people of all ethnic groups, especially Prussians and Germans. Gratitude, on the contrary, allowed the demonstrators to continue to grow like a vine in their hatred for the president who was singled out for special treatment.

At 9 a.m. on April 23, 1868, Bismarck, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Prussia, held a press conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Berlin. He condemned Lincoln's differential treatment of Prussians and Germans from other ethnic groups in the Commonwealth of America. He declared that Prussia was dissatisfied with Lincoln. The government's treatment of Germans required President Lincoln to further ease tensions within the American Confederacy and unite all ethnic groups rather than create divisions.

At the same time, he called on the Lincoln administration to analyze the dissatisfaction of Prussians and Germans and address their concerns.

On the afternoon of the same day, the White House expressed its dissatisfaction with Bismarck's interference in the internal affairs of the Commonwealth of America and asked Bismarck to prevent such incidents from happening again. If such actions by the Kingdom of Prussia happen again, the Commonwealth of America will choose to respond firmly.

No one knew what the Lincoln administration would do in response, but it would certainly be a bad counterattack against Prussia.

The Prussians and even the Germans as a whole were naturally dissatisfied with this, and they rallied outside the White House in Washington the next day to demand that Lincoln withdraw his condemnation of Bismarck. However, the White House ignored this and instead accused the Prussians of forcing their country's president to help foreign countries. It is an act of disloyalty to the Commonwealth of America.

Is this really a big deal? Are you disloyal to the Commonwealth of America?

Is this equivalent to an act of treason by the Prussians and some Germans who marched?

This made many people observing change their colors.

But think about it, no matter what, it is the right of the president to expel cabinet members. Now not only the dissatisfaction of the Prussians has turned into opposition, but they are also coercing Lincoln to make changes, and they are also coercing with Prussian Bismarck. This is very important to President Lincoln. It is a provocation and a challenge to American justice.

No wonder President Lincoln was so angry.

Of course, as the Prussian "San Francisco Times" said, President Lincoln may have deliberately chosen this time to attack the Prussians for his own political benefit. Obviously the power of the Netherlands made Lincoln attack the Prussians at this time. Ease relations with the Dutch and change the current unfavorable situation for Lincoln and the Irish.

Of course, because the influence of German newspapers is not high, not many people pay attention to it, although what it says is somewhat true.

On April 24, 1868, Lincoln held a cabinet meeting and decided to remove Seward from his position as Secretary of State. Everything went smoothly, and the president, who had been depressed, finally smiled.

At the suggestion of their wife, Mary Lincoln, they decided to go to Ford's Theater to watch a play in the evening to relax.

Newspapers and theater posters trumpeted the news, and theater actor John Wilkes Booth also saw the news on a theater poster.

After hurriedly returning to his residence, he saw Powell and Frank there.

John Wilkes Booth: "President Lincoln will be attending the play at Ford's Theater tonight, and I think tonight is the best time to get the job done."

Powell nodded, "Seward has been fired from the position of Secretary of State, and now the Prussians are angry. If Lincoln makes a mistake, I, who is Irish, will retaliate against Seward in anger to the point where I am listed as an incomparable person." It matches, does it make sense?”

Frank: "Since you all think tonight is the best time, I have no objection, but be careful not to get caught. Even if you are caught, you must remember to disclose your identities as these two ethnic groups." 'Original intention', that way, your descendants will receive 'huge help'"

Powell and John Wilkes Booth both nodded involuntarily.

On the surface, John Wilkes Booth came from a famous theater family, with superb acting skills and handsome appearance, and was deeply sought after and admired by female fans. However, Lincoln also had an appalling identity, a Prussian nationalist. -A member of the Red Army, also known as the Skull and Bones Society, is a strong supporter and has become famous recently because he once organized a group to plan to kidnap Lincoln to let the Prussians and Germans who marched recently to vent their dissatisfaction. , but was eventually dissuaded (reportedly by Siward) and was not implemented. That day, Lincoln dismissed Seward from his post in the morning, which made him very angry. He accidentally learned that the Lincolns were going to watch a play at Ford's Theater, and he was overjoyed. Overjoyed, this was a god-given opportunity for him to assassinate Lincoln.

John Wilkes Booth's status as a popular actor made it easy for him to enter and exit the theater, and even the president's guards did not watch out for him.

At 10 o'clock that night, John Wilkes Booth pretended to be calm and walked towards the president's box. Guard John Parker was supposed to be guarding the only way to the box, but his team was not interested in watching the show, so a People hid in the vacant box next to them and drank.