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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →After shooting Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth was reported to have shouted “Sic semper tyrannis,” Latin commonly translated as “Thus Ever to Tyrants” or “Thus Always to Tyrants.” Secretary of War Edwin Stanton’s dispatch three days later also records the words “Virginia was revenged.” The familiar cry is supported by early reporting, but the surviving accounts are reports—not a definitive transcript of every word Booth said.
What did Booth reportedly shout?
The National Park Service says Booth leapt onto the stage and cried “Sic Semper Tyrannis,” translating the phrase as “Thus Ever to Tyrants.” Its historical account renders the Latin as “thus always to tyrants.” The difference is a variation in English rendering, not a different Latin phrase. National Park Service biography of John Wilkes Booth; National Park Service account of the assassination.
What does “Sic semper tyrannis” mean?
The phrase means “Thus Ever to Tyrants,” or, in another rendering used by the National Park Service, “thus always to tyrants.” It is Virginia’s state motto. Booth’s reported use of it fits his Southern sympathies, but the slogan by itself does not establish his full motive; the National Park Service describes his political views and the evolution of his plot separately.
What does the 1865 account say?
In a dispatch to General William Tecumseh Sherman dated April 17, 1865, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton reported: “The assassin of the President, leapt from the box, brandishing a dagger, exclaiming ‘Sic semper tyrannis’ and that ‘Virginia was revenged’.” This is Stanton’s near-contemporary account of what was being reported after the assassination. It is not a written statement by Booth or a verbatim transcript recorded by him. Edwin Stanton’s April 17, 1865 dispatch.
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What happened at Ford’s Theatre?
Booth shot Lincoln during a performance of Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. The National Park Service says Booth leapt from the presidential box to the stage after the shooting and fled. Its account says Booth and his associates had first planned to kidnap Lincoln for ransom; after General Robert E. Lee surrendered on April 9, they turned to assassination and attacks on other Union leaders. Booth was pursued for 12 days before he was trapped at the Garrett farm in Virginia and fatally shot. National Park Service biography of John Wilkes Booth.
Did Booth shout “Freedom for the South!” in Manhunt?
Apple TV+’s series Manhunt dramatizes Booth shouting “Freedom for the South!” as well as “Sic semper tyrannis.” In a 2024 Smithsonian Magazine interview, historian James L. Swanson discusses that scene and Booth’s reported cry, while also describing Booth as saying “I have done it” as he exited. These are distinctions between dramatic dialogue and accounts discussed by a historian; the series’ full line should not be treated as an undisputed historical quotation. Smithsonian identifies the series as based on Swanson’s book, Manhunt: The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer. Smithsonian Magazine interview with James L. Swanson.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to learn more about the pursuit
PBS American Experience’s documentary The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln covers the assassination and the twelve-day pursuit; PBS says it aired on February 9, 2009, and identifies Barak Goodman as its writer, producer, and director. PBS American Experience: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
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