Abraham Lincoln Assassination

The footage seen in this video is said to be 16mm film from April 14, 1865 when
President Abraham Lincoln was shot in Ford?s Theatre. Whether or not this real footage
from the event cannot be determined, but the overall scene of the film gives an accurate
description to the event and setting at the time. When I watched this video and saw John
Wilkes Booth casually walk up behind the president and shoot him from point blank range it seemed a little unrealistic. However after researching about it I discovered that this truly appears to be how it happened. Trying to imagine this today would be nearly
impossible due to all the security and protection that constantly surrounds the president
at all times. Clearly times have changed but when I first saw the video it was
unbelievable that someone could simply approach the president and then proceed to shoot
him from close range. After the thought that it actually did happen sunk in and I was able to realize that I began to wonder about the immediate result and what happened to Booth. Apparently he escaped and was caught later in a barn, which was burned to the ground, but it all seems so unreal and impossible after seeing the type of precautions that are taken with the president today. It makes me think about the level of trust we as humans have for one another today compared to 1865 when everyone seemed trustworthy unless they displayed otherwise. It appears to me, that as a society we tend to expect the worst in people and live our lives protecting ourselves from harm. Clearly we have many reasons to do this, but it simply is not right that we constantly expect people to do wrong and intentionally harm others. What happened to the times when everyone was neighborly and helpful for nothing more than a smile or friend in reward. Clearly our views have changed for the worst and we can do nothing but try to think of a way to better shelter ourselves from it. It seems we have reached our peak in the race for civilization and are on the downward slide back towards a life in the wild game of survival of the fittest.

Abraham Lincoln Assassination

http://youtube.com/watch?v=zO3DodRdPv8
The footage seen in this video is said to be 16mm film from April 14, 1865 when President Abraham Lincoln was shot in Ford?s Theatre. Whether or not this real footage from the event cannot be determined, but the overall scene of the film gives an accurate description to the event and setting at the time. When I watched this video and saw John Wilkes Booth casually walk up behind the president and shoot him from point blank range it seemed a little unrealistic. However after researching about it I discovered that this truly appears to be how it happened. Trying to imagine this today would be nearly impossible due to all the security and protection that constantly surrounds the president at all times. Clearly times have changed but when I first saw the video it was unbelievable that someone could simply approach the president and then proceed to shoot him from close range. After the thought that it actually did happen sunk in and I was able to realize that I began to wonder about the immediate result and what happened to Booth. Apparently he escaped and was caught later in a barn, which was burned to the ground, but it all seems so unreal and impossible after seeing the type of precautions that are taken with the president today. It makes me think about the level of trust we as humans have for one another today compared to 1865 when everyone seemed trustworthy unless they displayed otherwise. It appears to me, that as a society we tend to expect the worst in people and live our lives protecting ourselves from harm. Clearly we have many reasons to do this, but it simply is not right that we constantly expect people to do wrong and intentionally harm others. What happened to the times when everyone was neighborly and helpful for nothing more than a smile or friend in reward. Clearly our views have changed for the worst and we can do nothing but try to think of a way to better shelter ourselves from it. It seems we have reached our peak in the race for civilization and are on the downward slide back towards a life in the wild game of survival of the fittest.

Pre-Game in Lincoln

Pre-Game in Lincoln
As the streets line with red and parking spots fill up all across town the bars and restaurants begin to reach capacity and a constant buzz fills the air. The feeling is one of a kind and can be felt on Husker game day all across downtown Lincoln. As kick off approaches the noise gets continuously louder and the crowds of people grow larger and larger. All the buzz and hype peaks during the duration of the game. From the tunnel walk to the last snap, thousands of members of the Husker Nation gather round town both in and out of the stadium to support their Big Red.
The anticipation for this event is remarkable. People begin to spill into downtown for game day as early as 7 in the morning and the streets continue to fill until the last car heads home for the night. As I walked the streets of downtown Lincoln this weekend on my way to the Husker game, after parking 10 blocks down, I could feel a sense of community and unity in the air. Chants began to break out and everyone would give high fives to any other person in red. Laughter was in the air and all the worries of everyone’s every day lives had vanished for the time. The bars filled up, the restaurants were packed, the parking was scarce, and the seats of Memorial Stadium began to turn red. Snacks and special treats were being made in homes around town and drinks were bought in preparation for the big game.
The community came together as a whole and transformed into this Husker Nation that you hear so much about. It was an amazing experience to have so many people brought together without a worry in the world to watch an American tradition of football. All the commotion and buzz built up until those gates opened up and the Nebraska football team came through the end of that tunnel into a massive, roaring, and chaotic crowd.