The thesis of the book Manhunt by James L. Swanson is about the hunt for John Wilkes Booth. Why Booth killed Lincoln and his thoughts and actions that led up to this and what he went through while he was on the run. Booth was a well-known actor and symphonize the southern cause. Booth blamed Lincoln for the confederate surrender. When Booth found out that Lincoln would be attending the Ford’s Theatre, where Booth was employed, he started a situation that would go down in history. He gave one of his friends a note that he wanted published. Written on that small scrap of paper was Booth’s reason he gave for assassinating Lincoln. Later he met with some friends that shared in his beliefs, Lewis Powell, David Herold, John Surratt Jr., Samuel