Editing John Wilkes Booth (section)

=== Early Life ===
John Wilkes Booth was born on May 10<sup>th</sup>, 1838 on a farm near Bel Air, Maryland, about 25 miles from Baltimore. He was the ninth of ten children of Junius Booth and Mary Ann Holmes. John's parents were British and had moved to the United States in 1821. In addition to the farm at Bel Air (where the Booth family had slaves), the family also owned a home on North Exeter Street in Baltimore where the colder months of the year were spent. Junius was one of the most famous actors on the American stage although he was an eccentric person who had problems with alcohol and spells of madness. As a young man, John attended several private schools including a boarding school operated by Quakers at Cockeysville.

As a teenager Booth attended St. Timothy's Hall, an Episcopal military academy in Catonsville, Maryland. During the 1850's young Booth apparently became a Know-Nothing in politics. The Know-Nothing Party was formed by American nativists who wanted to preserve the country for native-born white citizens.

John eventually left school after his father died in 1852. John spent several years working at the farm near Bel Air. However, according to his sister, Asia Booth Clarke, Booth's dreams went beyond working at a farm. His goal was to be a famous actor like his father had been.

In August 1855, when he was only 17 years old, Booth made his stage debut as the Earl of Richmond in Shakespeare's Richard III. Two years passed before he made another appearance on stage. In 1857, Booth played stock in Philadelphia, but he frequently missed cues and forgot his lines. He persevered, however, and came of age in 1858 as a member of the Richmond Theatre. It was in Richmond where he truly became enamored with the Southern people and way of life. As his career gained momentum, many called him "the handsomest man in America." He stood 5-8, had jet black hair, ivory skin, and was lean and athletic. He had an easy charm about him that attracted women.

John Wilkes Booth worked as an actor at [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford%27s_Theatre Ford's Theatre] in Washington, D.C. He was the lead in some of William Shakespeare's most famous works. Additionally, he was a [[Racism|racist]] and a supporter of [[slavery]].

He was also present at the hanging of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brown_(abolitionist) John Brown] in 1859.