--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For the first time in their memory…" description: "\"“For the first time in their memory, certainly since the earliest beginnings of the Civil War, Americans facing the shared tragedy of Garfield’s ordeal..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/candice-millard-18386_civil-war_for-the-first-time-in-their-memory-certa_1748884.png" --- # For the first time in their memory, certainly since the… ![“For the first time in their memory, certainly since the earliest beginnings of the Civil War, Americans facing the shared tragedy of Garfield’s ordeal felt a deep and surprising connection to one another. Divided by vast stretches of dangerous wilderness and stark differences in race, religion…” quote by Candice Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/candice-millard-18386_civil-war_for-the-first-time-in-their-memory-certa_1748884.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/candice-millard-18386_civil-war_for-the-first-time-in-their-memory-certa_1748884.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/candice-millard-18386_civil-war_for-the-first-time-in-their-memory-certa_1748884.png) > ““For the first time in their memory, certainly since the earliest beginnings of the Civil War, Americans facing the shared tragedy of Garfield’s ordeal felt a deep and surprising connection to one another. Divided by vast stretches of dangerous wilderness and stark differences in race, religion, and culture, there had been little beyond severely strained notions of common citizenship to unite them. The assassination of Abraham Lincoln sixteen years earlier had only deepened that divide. But the attempt on Garfield’s life aroused feelings of patriotism that many Americans had long since forgotten, or never knew they had.”” [Candice Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-millard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The collective grief over Garfield’s shooting briefly united a divided nation, reviving forgotten patriotism. **In simple terms:** Garfield’s tragedy sparked a fleeting national unity. Key Takeaway Recognize moments that can bridge societal divides. Themes nationalism unity historical trauma collective identity Mood reflective hopeful Type historical inspirational When to use this quote - Public mourning - political speeches - media coverage - community gatherings Key Concepts Patriotism social cohesion historical memory Questions to Reflect On - How can societies sustain unity after a crisis? - What symbols can maintain collective identity? A Different Perspective Such unity often fades quickly after the event passes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civil war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-war/) [Patriotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriotism/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [Nothing is more annoying in the ordinary intercourse of life than this irritable patriotism of the Americans. A foreigner will gladly agree to praise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/nothing-is-more-annoying-in-the-ordinary-intercourse-of-life-than/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [The Bush Republicans' policies are, the antithesis of patriotic. 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A breath breathed from a passing breeze is not the whole wind, neither is it just the last of what has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/time-overlaps-itself-a-breath-breathed-from-a-passing-breeze-is-not/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) ## More by Candice Millard > [“Garfield's shooting had also revealed to the American people how vulnerable they were. In the little more than a century since its inception, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-millard/garfield-s-shooting-had-also-revealed-to-the-american-people-how/) [Candice Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-millard/) > [“I so much despise a man who blows his own horn, that I go to the other extreme.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-millard/i-so-much-despise-a-man-who-blows-his-own-horn-that-i-go-to-the-other/) [Candice Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-millard/) > [“I must say that I thought there was some derangement of his mental organization.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-millard/i-must-say-that-i-thought-there-was-some-derangement-of-his-mental/) [Candice Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-millard/) > [“One of Roosevelt's most entrenched beliefs, as a cowboy, a hunter, a soldier, and an explorer, was that the health of one man should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-millard/one-of-roosevelt-s-most-entrenched-beliefs-as-a-cowboy-a-hunter-a/) [Candice Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-millard/) > [“Of course I deprecate war,” he wrote, “but if it is brought to my door the bringer will find me at home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-millard/of-course-i-deprecate-war-he-wrote-but-if-it-is-brought-to-my-door/) [Candice Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-millard/) > [If uncovering the truth is the greatest challenge of nonfiction writing, it is also the greatest reward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-millard/if-uncovering-the-truth-is-the-greatest-challenge-of-nonfiction/) [Candice Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-millard/) > [More often than not, real life is so rich, complex and unpredictable that it would seem completely implausible in the pages of a novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-millard/more-often-than-not-real-life-is-so-rich-complex-and-unpredictable/) [Candice Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-millard/) > [“The author points out strikingly different reactions to calamity. 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But Garfield was beloved by all the American people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-millard/with-the-lincoln-assassination-the-south-didn-t-feel-it-could-mourn/) [Candice Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-millard/) > [“The ordinary traveler, who never goes off the beaten route and who on this beaten route is carried by others, without himself doing anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-millard/the-ordinary-traveler-who-never-goes-off-the-beaten-route-and-who-on/) [Candice Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-millard/) > [As I have encountered difficult moments in my own life, I have been privileged to learn from the great men I have come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-millard/as-i-have-encountered-difficult-moments-in-my-own-life-i-have-been/) [Candice Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-millard/) > [“Dr. Lister, who treated the wounded Pres. Garfield, had been so stung by the medical establishment's reaction to his embrace of African-American doctors that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-millard/dr-lister-who-treated-the-wounded-pres-garfield-had-been-so-stung-by/) [Candice Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-millard/) > [I have always been interested in the idea of self-reinvention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-millard/i-have-always-been-interested-in-the-idea-of-self-reinvention/) [Candice Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-millard/) > ['Honor in the Dust' is less about the freedom of the Philippines than the soul of the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-millard/honor-in-the-dust-is-less-about-the-freedom-of-the-philippines-than/) [Candice Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-millard/) [Explore all 35 Candice Millard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-millard/) ## More Civil war quotes > [“Time overlaps itself. 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