Thank you, Tom Nichols. Some would say James Garfield was an unsung hero. Thanks to Professor Richardson and her team, we are singing about his heroism today; and rightly so.
Do not forget to read destiny of a madman, etc, etc. Your toes will curl. You will hate murderers AND medical science as it were in Garfield’s time. The most poignant moment was the end, after having suffered agonizing months of dying from his infection from his gsw (gun shot wound but mostly from dumb ass surgeons sticking their bare unwashed hands into his abdomen to explore the wound repeatedly and ignoring what the Europeans were learning - ANTISEPSIS, handwashing, eventually gloves). Garfield trained to his summer home “down the shore” in northern New Jersey where a special train destination for him had been constructed. After weeks of agonizing sickness lying on the floor of the White House, he went to his favorite home with his favorite flag and sadly died. He never had a moment to show his political mettle, only his intense will to live during a time when odds were stacked against you to die. Sound familiar? We are a stupid nation because of hubris. Sadly, hubris beats humility. But I have faith, oh humble servants, we can do this for our country. Read the book, you will be sickened and inspired in our day and age. What a great post and a great contribution to our vibrant substack subscribers! Again, YES, we can do this. VOTE!
These are so impressive. An "amuse bouche" of American history. Amazing how much teaching can be put in a minute. Thanks for this one, something else I didn't know....
We lost a potentially great leader when Garfield was shot and ultimately assassinated. He was the last Reconstruction president, a firm believer in civil rights and the Union. And I think the last president born in a log cabin.
Thank you, Tom Nichols. Some would say James Garfield was an unsung hero. Thanks to Professor Richardson and her team, we are singing about his heroism today; and rightly so.
Do not forget to read destiny of a madman, etc, etc. Your toes will curl. You will hate murderers AND medical science as it were in Garfield’s time. The most poignant moment was the end, after having suffered agonizing months of dying from his infection from his gsw (gun shot wound but mostly from dumb ass surgeons sticking their bare unwashed hands into his abdomen to explore the wound repeatedly and ignoring what the Europeans were learning - ANTISEPSIS, handwashing, eventually gloves). Garfield trained to his summer home “down the shore” in northern New Jersey where a special train destination for him had been constructed. After weeks of agonizing sickness lying on the floor of the White House, he went to his favorite home with his favorite flag and sadly died. He never had a moment to show his political mettle, only his intense will to live during a time when odds were stacked against you to die. Sound familiar? We are a stupid nation because of hubris. Sadly, hubris beats humility. But I have faith, oh humble servants, we can do this for our country. Read the book, you will be sickened and inspired in our day and age. What a great post and a great contribution to our vibrant substack subscribers! Again, YES, we can do this. VOTE!
These are so impressive. An "amuse bouche" of American history. Amazing how much teaching can be put in a minute. Thanks for this one, something else I didn't know....
Well-said, Barbara! I agree 100%!
We lost a potentially great leader when Garfield was shot and ultimately assassinated. He was the last Reconstruction president, a firm believer in civil rights and the Union. And I think the last president born in a log cabin.
I had no idea.
One of the great what-ifs of history: what if Garfield had lived?