20.) James A. Garfield 1881-1881

[Abridged] Presidential Histories

English - September 01, 2021 07:00 - 50 minutes - 34.5 MB
History presidential history presidents american u.s.a. u.s. united states political politics Homepage Download Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed

Previous Episode: 19.A.) Hayes' evolving views on slavery, an interview with Dustin McLochlin

Next Episode: 20.A.) Garfield and the Gilded Age, an interview with Todd Arrington

James Garfield didn't want to be president, but the 1880 Republican Convention nominated him against his will. And do you know what thanks he got for it? Assassinated within six months. But Garfield has a lot to teach us in his fascinating rags-to-riches life and the fierce political battles he waged during his short term in office for, in just a few months, he accomplished what his predecessor could not - the defeat of Lord Roscoe's corrupt New York political machine

Follow along as Garfield goes from school janitor to school president, civil war soldier to Congressman, and a guy in the crowd at the 1880 GOP convention to 20th president of the United States. And learn why his assassin's lone defense in court was, "The doctors killed Garfield, I just shot him."

Bibliography
1. Destiny of the Republic – Candice Millard
2. Rutherford B. Hayes – Hans. L. Trefousse
3. The Unexpected President: The Life and Times of Chester A. Arthur – Scott S. Greenberger

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