The Scholar and the Madman: The Assassination of President James Garfield - Part One

PART ONE The Assassination of President James A. Garfield (Part One) The Scholar and the Madman — Chapters 1–3 In Part One of our two-episode event, we enter the final summer of the 19th century and watch the American Republic stand on the edge of transformation. President James Abram Garfield, a reluctant leader with a brilliant mind, rises from obscurity to the highest office in the nation. But as he steps into a presidency full of promise, another man —Charles Julius Guiteau, failed preacher, failed lawyer, failed everything—begins interpreting his own delusions as divine instruction. This episode explores: • Garfield’s improbable rise from canal boat laborer to scholar, general, and president • The vicious fracture inside the Republican Party between the Stalwarts and Half-Breeds • The spoils system that corrupted Washington and set the stage for tragedy • Guiteau’s descent into delusion, religious mania, and political obsession • The 36-ballot convention meltdown that accidentally...