why was garfield assassinated

James A. Garfield was assassinated by Charles J. Guiteau in 1881. The core motive Guiteau gave was that Garfield’s election and presidency would undermine the political faction Guiteau supported, and Guiteau believed killing Garfield would either save the Republican Party or enable him to obtain a desired government post. In the narrative Guiteau supplied during his indictment and later statements, he framed the act as a divine command and a necessary step to "save" the country and the party, though the historical record also shows Guiteau was mentally unstable and had been repeatedly dismissed from his efforts to secure a consulship. The combination of political grievance (feeling snubbed in his ambitions), a belief that Garfield would damage his preferred faction, and personal delusions contributed to the murder. Garfield ultimately died from the wounds after a prolonged illness and medical complications, not immediately from the shooting.