Difference between revisions 110848287 and 110848288 on dewiki

The '''Baltimore Plot''' was an alleged conspiracy in late February 1861 to assassinate [[President-elect]] [[Abraham Lincoln]] ''en route'' to his [[inauguration]]. [[Allan Pinkerton]], founder of the [[Pinkerton National Detective Agency]], played a key role by managing Lincoln's security throughout the journey. Though scholars debate whether or not the threat was real, clearly Lincoln and his advisors believed that there was a threat and took actions to ensure his safe passage through [[Baltimore, Maryland]].

On November 6, 1860, Lincoln was elected as the 16th [[President of the United States]], a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], and the first to be elected from that [[political party|party]].  Shortly after his election, many representatives of Southern states made it clear that secession was inevitable, which greatly increased tension across the nation. A plot to assassinate Lincoln in Baltimore was alleged. On February 23, 1861, he arrived secretly in Washington, D.C. For the remainder of his presidency Lincoln's many critics would hound him for the seemingly cowardly act of sneaking through Baltimore at night, in disguise, sacrificing his honor for his personal safety. However, the efforts at security may well have been prudent.

==Background==
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[[Allan Pinkerton]] was commissioned to provide security for president-elect [[Abraham Lincoln]] on his journey to Washington, D.C., through Baltimore. Whether or not there was a plot, Maryland was a [[slave state]], and was considered a border state with strong Southern sympathies and was considered dangerous territory through which to travel for such a controversial politician.  Two months later, Baltimoreans [[Baltimore riot of 1861|attacked Union Army soldiers]] marching to Washington.  When Virginia joined the Confederacy, it was necessary to travel through Maryland to reach Washington.

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[[Category:History of the United States (1849–1865)]]
[[Category:Causes of war|American Civil War, Origins of the]]
[[Category:History of Maryland]]
[[Category:Lincoln conspirators]]
[[Category:Assassination attempts]]

[[fr:Complot de Baltimore]]