Hanged for her role in the murder of President Abraham Lincoln, Mary Surratt gained fame as the first woman ever executed by the federal government. But was she merely a Southern sympathizer, a protective mother, or was she a loathsome co-conspirator? Did she deserve to hang? In her book, The Assassin’s Accomplice: Mary Surratt and the Plot to Kill Abraham Lincoln, historian Kate Clifford Larson tells the intricate story of the Lincoln assassination conspiracy through the eyes of its only female participant, offering a deeper understanding of Surratt as both a woman and a frequently overlooked person of historical significance. Director Robert Redford turned Surratt’s story into the feature film The Conspirator, which suggested that the flawed process surrounding Surratt’s conviction tainted the result and, ultimately, obscured the truth of what actually happened. Larson argues that Mary Surratt was rightfully convicted of the crime for her willing participation in the most shocking murder in U.S. History.

Presenter: Kate Clifford Larson

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