The incredible true story behind Netflix’s Death by Lightning

Many Americans may not be familiar with the brief presidency of James Garfield, let alone his brutal assassination. But Netflix aims to change that its new miniseries death due to lightningWhich dramatizes the horrific events of 1881.

The four-episode series, starring Michael Shannon and Matthew Macfadyen, “brings to life an epic and even stranger true story than fantasy.” James Garfield, the reluctant 20th President of the United StatesAnd his biggest fan, Charles Guiteau – the man who will come to kill him,” according to an official logline.

Betty Gilpin, Nick Offerman, Laura Marcus (bad education), Shea Whigham (Boardwalk Empire) and Bradley Whitford (maid story) is also available.

talking to tumdu About bringing the tragic history to the screen nearly 150 years later, producer Mike Makowski said, “The theme of corruption in politics and our bureaucracy Feels especially evergreen these days.

He said, “The idea of ​​civil service reform and waging a fight to clean up the corruption in our government – ​​that’s something Garfield was on the forefront of in his time.” “In 1881, it felt as if America stood at a crossroads between the past and what the future of this country would be, and it was up to [people like Garfield] To really define what America is going to look like 100 years after its founding and what kind of society they’re going to be.”

Who was James Garfield?

Garfield (played by Michael Shannon in the series) came from a humble family, born in a log cabin in Cuyahoga County, Ohio in 1831. The youngest of five children, he grew up in poverty, working odd jobs before attending Williams College, where he graduated in 1856.

After earning his degree, Garfield studied law and became a lawyer before serving as a preacher in the Restoration Movement and later as president of the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute, a small college affiliated with the Disciples of Christ.

His political career began in 1859, when he was elected to the Ohio Senate as a Republican. Early on, Garfield showed a remarkable command of persuasion – using his voice and conviction to help rally against the wave of Southern secession.

When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Garfield turned to politics instead of the battlefield, joining the Union Army and quickly distinguishing himself in the war. Within two years, he rose to the rank of major general of volunteers.

Back home, his constituents had other plans for him. In 1862, when Abraham Lincoln was still in the Civil War, Ohio voters sent Garfield to Congress. Lincoln, ever the strategist, urged him to resign his commission, arguing that it was easier to find a general than to find a good congressman.

In Washington, Garfield became one of the Republican Party’s most trusted figures, winning re-election for 18 consecutive years and ultimately serving as House minority leader from 1876 to 1880. Then, in one of history’s great political upsets, he unexpectedly won the presidency in 1881—an unexpected ascent from log cabin to the White House.

The Midwest native never planned to become president. However, after failing to deliver the presidential nomination to his friend, John Sherman, at the 1880 Republican convention, he became the “dark horse” candidate for his party on the 36th ballot.

Joining him on the ticket was Chester A., ​​a Republican from New York. Arthur (played by Offerman) was a member of the Stalwarts, a conservative faction of the Republican Party during the Gilded Age that held traditionalist views.

Garfield defeated Democratic nominee General Winfield Scott Hancock by a narrow margin of just 10,000 popular votes to become the nation’s 20th President.

Although his presidency was tragically ended by assassination just months after taking office, Garfield left a lasting impression through his advocacy of civil rights for African Americans, his efforts for civil service reform, and his steadfast opposition to political patronage.

How did Garfield die?

Only 200 days into his first term, Garfield was shot at the Baltimore and Potomac Train Station in Washington, DC, on July 2, 1881. He was hit by two bullets – one of which grazed his arm, while the other tore through his back, grazed his ribs and entered his stomach.

At the time, the germ theory was still not widely accepted by American doctors, and Garfield’s physicians repeatedly examined his wound with unsterilized fingers and instruments in an attempt to locate the bullet.

Over the next 11 weeks, the President suffered from serious infections, internal abscesses, and malnutrition as his body deteriorated. Despite early signs of improvement, his condition worsened in September. On September 19, Garfield died at the age of 49 of a massive heart attack or aneurysm caused by infection and sepsis.

Modern medical historians largely agree that, if his doctors had left him alone or practiced antiseptic techniques, Garfield likely would have survived.

He died two months later on September 19, 1881, of an infection related to his gunshot wound at the age of 49. Arthur took over as the 21st President, ending Garfield’s term, and left office in 1885.

Who was Garfield’s murderer, Charles Guiteau?

Garfield’s murderer, Charles Guiteau (played by McFadden), was captured almost immediately after pulling the trigger. As he was being taken away by police, he reportedly told them, “I am the veteran of veterans…Arthur is now president.”

Guiteau was a 39-year-old unsuccessful lawyer and vagabond whose hallucinations had been brewing for several months. According to the National Park Service, he followed President Garfield around Washington, D.C., convinced that divine providence had tied his fate to the White House. A self-proclaimed loyal Republican, Guiteau believed that his small campaign efforts had personally ensured Garfield’s victory – and so he deserved a reward.

He arrived in the capital hoping to collect it: a diplomatic appointment in Paris. But, as the University of Virginia’s Miller Center notes, he was clearly inept and repeatedly alienated both the White House and the State Department.

At the same time, Garfield was having a public dispute with New York Senator Roscoe Conkling over the prized custodianship of Collector of the Port of New York. When Garfield refused to back down, Conkling resigned in protest – an event that provoked division within the Republican Party.

Guiteau, a staunch Conkling supporter, became convinced that Garfield’s efforts to reform the patronage system would destroy the party. In their twisted logic, removing the President was not murder but political liberation.

On the day Garfield died, Guiteau wrote to Vice President Chester A. Wrote to Arthur: “My inspiration is a divine gift to you and I believe you appreciate it… Never think of Garfield’s removal as murder. According to the Miller Center, it was an act of God, resulting from a political necessity for which he was responsible.”

What happened to Charles Guiteau?

Guiteau was put on trial for Garfield’s murder that November.

He told the jury, “I didn’t kill the President. The doctors did that. I just shot them.”

However, the jury disagreed and Guiteau was found guilty of Garfield’s murder in January 1882 after a two-month trial. He was sentenced to death.

On June 30, 1882, just two days before the first anniversary of Garfield’s fatal shooting, Guiteau was hanged in the prison yard.

Before his death, he was allowed to read aloud a poem he had written, which ended with the declaration, “Glory hallelujah! Glory hallelujah! I am with the Lord!”

death due to lightning Now streaming on Netflix.