DBWI: James Garfield dies

Plateosaurus

When it comes to US presidents, James Garfield ranks quite high. Among other things, he is credited with advancing education and rights for African-Americans and compensating for slavery, and for ending the increasingly maligned patronage system.

However, its a bit less known that early on in his presidency some lawyer named Charles Guiteau tried to kill him for scrapping the patronage system and not giving him an office. He actually cave very close to assassinating him, but the day he was to be, Garfield suffered a major concussion and had to spend some nights in bed. Eventually, his plot was found out by police and he was arrested. Imagine if he did succeed. Given that this was only 16 years after Lincoln got the bullet, just imagine how the country would react, and how race relations and the political landscape would be affected. What do you think would happen?
 
AltoRegnant

AltoRegnant

Garfield was vehemently anti-british influence, especially in latin america, so without him I would expect we'd be a bit more amicable towards Britain. I suppose Arthur might not send delegates the Berlin Conference to negotiate the enlarged Liberia of otl or work against British hegemony then- I'd expect cooler relations with France and Russia during the mid-19th century then
 

West

KingOnTheEdge said:
Garfield was vehemently anti-british influence, especially in latin america, so without him I would expect we'd be a bit more amicable towards Britain. I suppose Arthur might not send delegates the Berlin Conference to negotiate the enlarged Liberia of otl or work against British hegemony then- I'd expect cooler relations with France and Russia during the mid-19th century then
Click to expand...

The british empire and the united states was always going to head for a show down. I highly doubt that Garfields death would butterfly away the American German alliance, against the entant.
 

Amadeus

Arthur might not have vetoed the Chinese Exclusion Act. Garfield felt very strongly that the federal government should protect civil rights; nonetheless he was not willing to resend troops into the South to enforce the 14th and 15th Amendments. Cleveland tried in vain to use the Chinese Exclusion Issue against Garfield in 1884, which saw the Republicans narrow retain the White House. Though 1888 was a Democratic sweep, in large part because of the perception that Blaine was corrupt.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Top