The Last Lincoln Republican, Benjamin T. Arrington
The Last Lincoln Republican, Benjamin T. Arrington
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The Last Lincoln Republican
The Presidential Election of 1880

Author: Benjamin T. Arrington

Narrator: Paul Heitsch

Unabridged: 8 hr 4 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/10/2020

Synopsis

The story of the presidential election of 1880, fully explored for the first time in The Last Lincoln Republican, is a political drama of lasting consequence and dashed possibilities. A fierce opponent of slavery before the war, Garfield had fought for civil rights for African Americans for years in Congress. Holding true to the original values of the Republican Party, Garfield wanted to promote equal opportunity for all; meanwhile, Democrats, led by Winfield Scott Hancock, sought to return the South to white supremacy and an inferior status for African Americans. With its in-depth account of the personalities and issues at play in 1880, Arrington's book provides a unique perspective on how this critical election continues to resonate through our national politics and culture to this day.

A close look at the contest of 1880 reveals that Garfield's victory could have been the start of a period of greater civil rights legislation, a continuation of Lincoln's vision. This was the choice made by the American people—and, as The Last Lincoln Republican makes poignantly clear, the great opportunity forever lost when Garfield was assassinated just a few months into his term.

About Benjamin T. Arrington

Benjamin T. Arrington is site manager, James A. Garfield National Historic Site, Mentor, Ohio. He is the author of The Medal of Honor at Gettysburg as well as essays on the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Louis

This is a well-written & important book. Most other books about James Garfield focus on his assassination, but Arrington explores the little known story of his nomination, election & brief presidency with the assassination only covered briefly in the conclusion. The book combines gripping personalit......more

Goodreads review by Jon

An informative overview of the political times of the Hayes/ Garfield era from 1876-1881. While it lacks any real biography of James Garfield, The Last Lincoln Republican's emphasis is on his political rise to the presidency. Nevertheless, this offers a great overview of a forgotten period in Americ......more

Goodreads review by Christopher

The book is very interesting, but would only recommend it if you are into presidential history or election history. It heavily goes over the nomination process for both parties in 1880, then talks about the issues of the day and how the campaigns were run. The last section somewhat goes over the Gar......more

Goodreads review by Mitchell

As a Garfield fan, I found this history of his life and times compelling. Well researched and written by the site director of the James A. Garfield National Historical Site in Mentor, Ohio, just miles from my home, it treats the president not as a short serving footnote in American history, most not......more

Goodreads review by Marshall

The goals of Reconstruction were great, the results were poor. America declined to resolve the problems of its racial history and African Americans were forced to endure all of the anguish of slavery in everything but name for another 80 years. Limiting African American political agency has passed f......more

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