American Businesswoman: Mary Surratt - Essay Example

?Mary Surratt Mary Surratt was the first woman who was executed by the American Federal government in an assassination case. She was linked with conspiracy for assassinating the President Abraham Lincoln. However, I find her not guilty of assassinating Abraham Lincoln because she did not do it. The reason she was executed was because the plot was formulated in the boarding house owned by Mary Surratt. She was found guilty she led the criminals live in the boarding house without letting the authorities know about them. In the court, Surratt repeatedly claimed that she was innocent as she had no clue what was happening in her boarding house. The court claimed that Surratt had joined in conspiracy as assassinates frequently visited boarding house. Surratt was punished due to the inexperience of her lawyer. The movie “The Conspirator” does not leave much evidence to convict her. The movie showcases the corruption within the legal proceedings which led to the conviction of Surratt. The movie shows that Surratt was unaware of the charges against her and hence she could not defend her properly. In the movie, it is shown that Mary Surratt begged her son John to stay home but he went to North Canada. So she is not part of any plot or conspiracy and is not guilty. The movie shows that her boarding house was hit by a brick which is about to hit Anna Surratt and Frederick Aiken which was to cause her harm.. Mary according to the movie has received letters from her son saying that he was in Canada but she had no idea where he was. So she was not aware of anything what was going on about plot. Apparently, Surratt was arrested because her son, John (Johnny Simmons), who was suspected of conspiracy, had disappeared. Mary Surratt was trying to save her son who had a hand in the conspiracy. She had no idea where he disappeared and Surratt was arrested instead who was innocent. Moreover, in the movie the son makes no attempt to save the mother. The movie also showed that there was no much witness to convict Mary Surratt. She was also arrested instead of her son John who was a conspirator. One of the evidence which the book “Mary Surratt – American Tragedy Trial by Elizabeth Trindal is that Surratt had a poor eye sight which even dismisses the fact of her seeing Powell. In the book it is mentioned that Surratt did not know that Booth had paid for the horse and the carriage she used to go to Surrattsville on April 11th. And also the book points out that the conversation between Surratt and Wiken were of innocent nature and did not have conspiracy motives. Moreover the book testify that Surratt was a lady who attended church regularly and was pious enough to not to attempt a crime. And also the discrepancies in the testimony of Lloyd claim the innocence of Mrs. Surratt. He earlier mentioned that she told about shooting irons ready as someone would collect it .According to ( Trindal 157) “ Lloyd proceed with his testimony by saying that she has handed him something wrapped in a piece of paper and that later he found that package contained field glasses”. Also Lloyd first account that Surratt told him to keep the “shooting irons” ready and later he said that he was not sure whether she really mentioned about “shooting irons”. The book has given much evidence that Surratt is guilty .She has been convicted for less credible reasons and booth movie and book state that Surratt has been innocent victim of American law. Overall, the book “An American Tragedy “by Elizabeth is an informative piece which talks about the assassination plot of Abraham Lincoln. The author has worked much to put the facts right in the book. The book is a good explanation about an event which has much importance in the American history. More importantly, the author has made a credible and brave attempt to reinvent the image of Mary Surratt in the eyes of Americans. America has always seen Surratt as a cruel woman who assassinated the country’s important historical figure. There are many detailing in the book which gives account for the innocence of Surratt. The author tells out the world that justice was not done to Surratt by America. The author in the book have managed give a better detail about the life and family of Mary Surratt. By giving many evidences for her innocence the author did come to a different conclusion. However, the book needs some editing as there was more than needed use of exclamation in it. This kind of distracts the readers at many points. The book is however, the true representation of extensive research of fifteen years. It looks like a mystery novel with much of suspense. Trindal plays with a question that how could a woman who is peaceful, God – fearing and motherly nature can be part of a conspiracy. The book is definitely for the people who are history lovers. The book is an enjoyable read and has presented the sadly unmentionable subject in an intelligent way. The author displays her literacy and research talent impeccably in the novel. The author has put forward a legal and personal case for legal malpractices and inescapable logic. The book reveals about the blind revenge the American government had taken on the Lincoln’s death. The story has all the shades of a murder mystery and is a must read for people who wants to know the real facts about Lincoln assassination and the conviction of Mary Surratt. This is not a fiction but a chronology of historical facts and events. The book has many questions which are unanswered by media about the Lincoln assassination and Surratt execution. The story shows that the execution of Mary Surratt indeed had been an American tragedy which the government could have avoided if matters were taken in right sense. Work Cited Etier, Bob. "Based on a true story: The Conspirator." http://www.examiner.com. Examiner, 2011. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. . Trindal, Elizabeth S. Mary Surratt: An American Tragedy. Louisiana: Pelican Publishing Co., 1996. 157. Print. Read More