Introduction
President Abraham Lincoln has just been assassinated at Ford's Theater, and students will play the roles of historical figures trying to catch the villain who is responsible. Drawing inspiration from the Apple TV series MANHUNT and James L. Swanson’s book Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer, students will collaborate, strategize, and make decisions to shape the outcome of the manhunt for John Wilkes Booth. Can students find and bring to justice President Lincoln's killer, and find a way to Reconstruct the Union? Find out in this historical role play simulation!
Students will be assigned a historical role and read about their historical persona
Students will be presented with scenarios relating to the 12-day hunt for Lincoln’s Assassin, as well as be confronted with the problems of Reconstruction after the end of the American Civil War
Students will have to make the right choices before time runs out and the assassin escapes justice
Students will write a POST MORTEM REPORT (linked here) to reflect upon their experience in the simulation
Historical Roles
After choosing/being assigned your historical role, click on the link for your persona and read about their character and role in the manhunt. Take special note of your character’s motives, and if your character has any secrets or special powers, be sure not to reveal those until it becomes necessary.
Political & Economic Leaders:
Detectives:
Supporting Characters:
Lewis Powell
*Disclaimer: The historical role reports and scenarios used in this simulation are derived from a combination of historical research, Apple TV’s MANHUNT, and ChatGPT for character development.
Simulation
Step 1 - Read about your historical persona
Use the links in the section above to familiarize yourself with your historical persona. Pay special attention to what role they play in the time period, what motives they may have, and what powers or secrets they may hold that could be important to the outcome of the game.
Step 2 - Play the simulation in class
Your instructor will present you with scenarios, and your character will need to make decisions based on the scenario. The primary objective for most of the characters is to capture John Wilkes Booth and his accomplices while uncovering their connections to the Confederate Secret Service. However, some players would not want to see the assassin’s capture, or risk being implicated with his crimes. Players must balance the pursuit of justice with the broader political tensions of Reconstruction, navigating obstacles posed by Southern sympathizers and political challenges from the administration of Andrew Johnson.
Game Play
The Game Master will set a timer at the beginning of the class. Each block of 10 minutes that passes means that there is less chance of finding Lincoln’s assassin
Scenario presented — you make the choices that will either help or hinder the search for John Wilkes Booth
Presentation of your plan of action — You will give a short speech or write up a short plan of what actions should be taken
Die Roll to see if you are successful in your operation (click here to see the die roll chart)
For each 10-20 minutes that have passed, you will receive a -1 die roll modifier (the amount of time is up to your Game Master’s discretion, depending on how long the game is going to be played).
Repeat this process until Lincoln’s assassin is brought to justice or escapes
Step 3 - POST MORTEM REPORT (click here)
You will submit a post mortem report that answers the questions about the simulation that relate to your historical persona. DO NOT have AI write this report for you! You need to authentically portray your reactions and responses to how the simulation impacted you and taught you about the time period.
