Charles Guitau's Assassination Rhetorical Analysis

Assassination of President James A. Garfield President James A. Garfield was the 20th president of the United States of America. He was the president almost immediately following the end of the Civil War. During his life, especially during his presidency, Garfield established many friends as well as foes. President Garfield was unjustifiably assassinated by one of his foes Charles J. Guiteau because Guiteau was mentally unstable, was disappointed about not getting a political office, and was responsible for almost exclusively ending the country’s reunification progress; however, many argue that doctors, rather than Guiteau, killed the president (Britannica 1). Charles J. Guiteau did not attempt to flee after shooting the president

After being shot, doctors rushed to the train station and began trying to locate the bullets to remove them. Since doctors did not believe germs existed, they did not disinfect the area around the president or their hands, which they used to feel around inside of his body. This caused a spread of germs which later developed into an infection which he finally succumbed to after about a month in the hospital. Critic of Guiteau’s guilt and author of a book about Garfield’s assassination, Candice Millard, blames the doctors by claiming, “If they had just left him alone he almost certainly would have survived” (CBS 1). This is backed up by the fact that the bullets were found to have not hit any vital organs. In fact, the bullet doctors were most concerned about was lodged behind the pancreas. Though all of these statements may be true, they do not account for who shot the president. Charles Guiteau shot the president with intent to end his life...to kill him and all he had done for his country. The doctors had no intention of killing or even harming Garfield. If it had not been for Guiteau shooting the president, the doctors would not have even arrived, and would most certainly not have infected the president (CBS