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President James A. Garfield's Assassination

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The Assassination of President James A. Garfield On July 2, 1881, President James Abram Garfield was shot “My God, what is this?” Cried the new chief executive (McKinley pg.42). Garfield died September 19, 1881 from an infection and internal hemorrhage (James A. Garfield par.14). An examination of primary and secondary sources will reveal the significance of this key event in American history. James A. Garfield was born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio on November 19, 1831. (Mowry pg.577). His parent was Abram Garfield and Eliza Ballou. He married Lucretra Randolph on November 11, 1858. He had seven children, Eliza A. Garfield, Harry A. Garfield, James R. Garfield, Mary Garfield, Irvin M. Garfield, Abram Garfield, and Edward Garfield. (James Abram …show more content…
In 1862, when union military victories had been few, he successfully led a brigade at middle creek, Kentucky against confederate troops. At 31 Garfield became a brigadier general, two years later he became major general of volunteers. (Freidel, Frank and Hugh sidey par.4). Garfield’s military career ended in the fall of 1863. (Mowry pg.577). Garfield was elected in November, 1880 in the Republican Party. (McKinley pg.43). He served eighteen years as a republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, eventually becoming the house minority leader. (James Abram Garfield. Par.3). Garfield was the twentieth president of the United States. (Mowry pg.57). By a margin of only 10,000 popular votes, Garfield defeated the democratic nominee, Gen.Winfield Scott Hancock. (Freidel, Frank and Hugh Sidey. Par.7). He was president from march-September 1881. (James Abram Garfield par.2).Garfield’s dignified, forceful behavior did much to restore the public respect for the presidency which was lost in the Grant administrations. Garfield was a “Dark-Horse” candidate for the presidency. The major issue of the day was civil

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