Revealing the Devastating Truth Within Netflix's Latest Historical Drama

Throughout history, the family members of President Garfield discussed openly about his remarkable life but seldom discussed his violent end. We were aware what had happened, that he was shot in a train station,” notes one of his family members. “We studied the story in books but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Renewed Attention in a Historical Figure

This changed in 2011 with the release of Destiny of the Republic, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. This work has now led to a Netflix drama titled the presidential series, starring Michael Shannon as the national leader and Matthew Macfadyen as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series aims to highlight Garfield, who came from humble beginnings to the presidency during the Gilded Age only to become a casualty to its deep political rifts. His presidency was truncated after only several months not only by the assassin's bullet but by physician mistakes – an tragedy now mostly overlooked while the assassinations of the Civil War president and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“One cannot help but admire what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a lawyer, he was a religious leader, he was a agriculturalist. He was so many things which also formed his character and his behavior and everything that we know about him the descendants preserve with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the Highest Office

Garfield was the last president raised in rustic conditions in Ohio in 1831. His dad perished when he was 18 months old, leaving his parent, Eliza, to support a large family in hard times. An insatiable reader, Garfield worked on canal boats to earn money for an education.

He studied law, was became a preacher, became head of a school in Ohio and was a political representative. In 1858 he entered matrimony with a previous schoolmate, his future wife, with whom he would have seven children. An passionate nationalist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a moral battle against forced servitude and rose to the rank of major general.

“When I started researching him, I found it incredible. He was absolutely brilliant. He was incredibly brave. He was very progressive for the time. He was caring. He was a decent human being and would have been an outstanding leader had he lived.”

Public Life and Surprise Candidacy

Garfield was encouraged by President Lincoln to depart military life when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would serve as a Republican for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of black suffrage, viewing it as a issue of rights and the completion of a military promise.

“His oration on the House chamber will affect you emotionally. He was an incredibly powerful orator and this matter was deeply meaningful to him.”

At the political assembly in Chicago the party was deeply divided between the “faction members”, led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, who supported a third term for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported political contender. Garfield attended as a advocate of his friend and fellow Ohioan John Sherman.

When the massive gathering was gridlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began looking for a compromise. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly declared, “And now, gentlemen of the convention, what do we want?” to which a audience member unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the 36th ballot, a stampede of delegates made Garfield the shocking choice. To satisfy the Stalwart faction, the vice presidential pick, a faction member from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the presidential race Garfield defeated the Democratic nominee to become the sole representative of the House ever to be chosen as leader.

Brief Administration and Government Conflicts

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe special for the American presidency is he wasn't seeking the position. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was thrust into it.”

The central struggle of Garfield's brief term was his disagreement with Conkling over the “spoils system”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the prestigious role of Collector of the Port of New York. Garfield declined, stating the issue was “concerning if the national leader becomes registering clerk of the senate or the executive of the United States”. He nominated a rival of Conkling to the post.

The dispute turned into a open fight but Garfield outmaneuvered Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a humiliating public defeat, Conkling and his junior senator resigned their seats in protest. The next day, Garfield's selection was confirmed. It was a historic triumph for the executive authority over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “political control”.

The Killer and His Psychological Issues

But even as Garfield fought powerful figures of his party, he was being pursued by a mentally unstable individual who exemplified the problematic element of the political appointment process. The gunman was a wanderer with a record of professional failures, emotional issues and childhood trauma. He had failed as a attorney, bill collector, minister and member of a free-love commune.

“He was emotionally unstable and his specific type of insanity was fantasy. He always believed that divine selection for importance. He actually had more privileged beginning than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau failed at everything.”

But Guiteau believed he had eventually located a way to accomplishment: politics. Carried away in the drama of the 1880 election, he created and presented an unimportant address, and became persuaded internally that he was solely accountable for Garfield's victory.

Under this reasoning, Guiteau reckoned he had merited a high-level government job. He travelled to Washington and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other leaders, insisting to be made the US consul in Paris — a post for which he had no experience. He became such a nuisance that he was eventually banned from the White House.

The Attack and Medical Malpractice

On 2 July 1881, just four months into his presidency, Garfield was leaving Washington for his college reunion. As he passed through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau emerged from hiding, pulled an weapon from his coat pocket and fired multiple rounds in the back.

Garfield cried out: “Why is this occurring?” and dropped on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law